Her Mistake, His Fortune
by Opinionated Asmodeus
Summary: Citra, in a petty fit of rage, sends Jason back to the beginning when he refuses to kill his friends in a hope to get him to make the right choice. Jason decides that the right choice for him is to side with Vaas, even if he has to give himself to the pirate in order to get him to agree.
1. Citra's Mistake

Jason _Snow White_ Brody couldn't fucking believe his own eyes. He was back at the club with his **brothers** and friends, instead of standing in front of Citra after having refused to kill Liza, and Riley and the rest of their friends. She had grown angry with him, because he was refusing everything she was offering to him, and had spewed out a litany in her native tongue that he still couldn't place. There had been a mixture of anger and triumph on her face while his vision had started to swim, and then the whispered words. "You will learn, Jason Brody, to not make the same mistake twice." And now, staring at Grant and the others who were happily chatting about the skydiving trip to hell, he really couldn't believe it.

Had it been one huge fucked up dream? He was broken out of his thoughts as Grant looped an arm around his neck. "You okay over here, J?" There was a worried crease in his older brother's forehead, his gaze looking him over for a sign that something was wrong.

"Yeah, Grant, I'm good." Jason managed a weak smile, which seemed to be enough to placate his older brother, but inwardly he can only wonder that he is maybe wrong. None of it had happened… Right?

He glanced at his left arm, to check and see if the Tatau was there, but the skin was blessedly bare. Even so, his arm tingled slightly and he watched the skin for a moment longer, only peeling his eyes away from it when a round of shots were placed on their table. He dropped his arm to his side, just as the beginning traces of the Tatau faded into existence on his arm.

He didn't glance at it again for the rest of their time at the bar, and the events there unfolded the same as he remembered from whatever the hell it was he seemed to recall. It wasn't until they had gone back to their hotel for the evening that Liza had commented on his arm.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo, Jason." That coming from Liza, as he'd been dating her for a bit, had him puzzled. They'd been going through something of a rough patch, and the trip was supposed to help them reconnect or some sappy shit like that. He glanced at her now though and she motioned to his left arm.

A distinct sense of dread curled in his gut, and he looked to see the beginning marks for the Tatau standing out in vibrant black against his pale skin. Fuck. Fucking fuck. And now he was starting to sound like… Fuck. He had gone through it! And Citra had done something to him! He couldn't stop the skydiving trip now! Not if he wanted everyone to think he was crazy!

"I kind of forgot about it," he lied, giving Liza a forced smile. "Look, we have to get up early tomorrow, so I'm gonna go to sleep." And without giving her a chance to respond he slipped into his room, leaving her with a dumbfounded look on her face.

He didn't go to sleep, and she stayed outside his door for a few minutes before going to the room she shared with Daisy. Once she was gone he immediately flicked on the lights, pulled out his phone and went over to his bed. Jason didn't have a clue on what to do, because they were going to be ambushed by Vaas' pirates once they landed. Vaas…

Vaas hadn't been the real issue the last time. He was only someone who worked under Hoyt, who was the real threat. Along with Citra and the fucking Rakyat. What if he could… No. That couldn't possibly work. Would it?

Jason brought his phone out of sleep mode and went to his camera app for the device. Switching it over to video he quickly hit the record button and took in a deep breath. A bitter laugh was the first thing that came out of his mouth, and he closed his eyes as he flipped the phone over to record himself in the dim light of the room.

"I'm so fucked it doesn't even matter. I can't convince my brothers or my friends to not take this fucking trap of a skydiving trip, so I'm left with this as my only option, Vaas Montenegro." The name rolled off his tongue far too easily for his liking, but he knew that it will capture the pirate lord's attention. "You're a crazy, psychotic bastard, and I fucking hate you. I hate you for the things I know you would do but haven't had the chance to do, yet. But…" Here he panned the camera on his phone to his arm, which had the first shark, heron and spider slowly fading into existence on his arm, and he kept it there until it became a solid black. "I hate your goddamn sister, the Rakyat and Hoyt Volker even more."

Jason was far from finished, but he knows Hoyt will interrupt Vaas _terrorizing_ him and Grant, so he has to keep it short. He shifted the camera so it is on his face now, his eyes open and so very dark in color as he spoke flatly. "I'm going kill them, with or without your help, Vaas. I would rather have your help, and your word that my brothers and friends stay safe, _hermano_. Do that for me, and I am yours."

He doesn't know what made him add that last line, and a part of him knows that it could very well be his undoing. He knows what Vaas is capable of, and he would definitely hold Jason to his word, because Jason had just given the psychotic bastard free reign over him. Turning the record function off, he decided against deleting the video just for that. Instead, he cleared out his phone's memory of all other videos so it will be the only thing the pirate lord will watch.

Nothing else mattered anymore, even if Vaas took his promise literally.

-HMHF-

Everything goes the same once more, with the exception of Jason recording them on the way down to the Rook Islands. He doesn't even attempt to mimic their gaiety. He knows he won't be able to, knowing what is in store for them when they land.

As the pirates rush out of the foliage, there guns trained on the group of young adults, Jason doesn't bother to look at his friends and family to note the looks of fear and surprise on their faces. He smartly dropped to his knees, put his hands behind his head and stared at the ground. In the confusion hardly anyone noticed this. Anyone that counted, anyways.

Vaas wasn't among the pirate greeting party, which is different from last time. Something also different was that he is taken to Vaas' camp separately from his friends and family, and ahead of them. The pirates had noticed his quick reaction and it had aroused their suspicion. No one had ever reacted like that to being ambushed, at least not without having to be ordered.

"I don't like this… We should just shoot him and be done with it." The pirate holding the gun on Jason eyed him warily, like he was something dangerous. The pirate didn't know how right he was.

"Can't. Boss will be pissed if we kill the product before we can even assess it." That was most certainly true, and Jason could only imagine just how much more pissed off Vaas would be if Jason was killed after having watched his little message to the pirate lord.

Jason wisely said nothing, his face set into a blank expression as they finally reached the camp. He was dragged out of the vehicle and had a gun shoved up against his back, though he would have gone along willingly. The pirates guided him through the camp, receiving questioning looks from the others scattered about that lasted only a few seconds.

He immediately realized where they were taking him as a familiar concrete building came into sight. His heart sped up slightly while anxiety pressed in on him. This would give him more time than he thought. Suddenly, he didn't want to think about time.

"What the fuck are you stupid fucks doing?!" Vaas was understandably pissed when several of his men entered his compound with Jason in tow. Jason suspected it was because the products weren't supposed to be in this part of the camp. "Do you not know how to follow fucking orders?"

"H-he reacted suspiciously, B-boss." The pirate that had wanted to kill him was the one to nervously explain. He didn't get very far, however, as Vaas wasn't a very patient man to start with, and was shot between the eyes.

Jason hadn't even seen him pull out the goddamn gun. Staring at the pirate lord, who was busy glaring at the other two pirates accompanying him, his throat felt oddly dry. He wasn't sure if he could do this. Before he could change his mind, he started to dig his phone out of his pocket only to be fixed with that dark, unnerving stare.

"And what the fuck do you think you're doing, white boy?" The gun was quickly leveled on him but Jason continued to pull out his phone without breaking his gaze away from Vaas'. Holding it up, for the pirate lord to see, along with his empty hand, Jason unknowingly held his breath. "What? You want to make a fucking call?!"

"No." It's said on an exhale, but his voice was blessedly steady. "Video message for you," is all else he can manage to get out, which caused a look of surprise to flit over Vaas' face. It's immediately followed by a look of suspicion, but Vaas strode forward anyways and snatched the phone out of Jason's hand.

"Go put him with the others," Vaas muttered as he starts to fiddle with the phone. The two remaining guards promptly follow his order and start to drag Jason out of the building.

Jason complies, and leaves with the pirates, but they aren't more then ten feet from the compound when Vaas yells for him to be brought back. The guards are surely confused by now, but they know better than to disobey and so they jerk Jason back into the compound a little more roughly out of their frustration.

There is a distinct silence in the compound, meaning that Vaas must have paused but video. He couldn't have watched very much of it. He glances up from the screen of the phone, his gaze immediately going to Jason. His expression is dark. Jason doesn't need to note it's dangerous as well. "Leave us." Vaas' tone is indecipherable to Jason, his gaze intense and burning with a touch of madness.

The pirates do as ordered, even though they're probably confused, and leave Jason alone with Vaas. Jason said nothing as the pirate lord restarted the video from the beginning. His own bitter laugh quickly pierces the silence before his actual message starts. Jason figured that Vaas had only heard the first sentence and nothing more.

The message is played out in its entirety, Vaas' gaze never leaving him even once. Jason does note that the pirate lord does glance at his left arm, which is by now covered in one third of the full Tatau he had managed to acquire. Vaas plays the message one more time, this time watching it while Jason just stands there. His expression becomes odd when it gets to the part where Jason has the camera focused on the forming Tatau. It wasn't something Jason had ever seen on his face before, and he doesn't want to know what is going through Vaas' mind.

"Oh, Citra. I smell your fucking magic all over this." Vaas looks up at him again, the odd expression gone and replaced with something purely predatory. Jason feels like he is being devoured by that gaze alone. "What's your name, white boy?"

"Jason Brody," he answers automatically, his own name odd on his tongue. "But I think I prefer Snow White now." He was more comfortable in that skin, because Jason Brody was in the past, gone with his sanity, morality and humanity.

Vaas suddenly breaks out into full, hearty laughter, the phone in his hand long forgotten in favor of this intriguing creature in front of him. He finally moves again once his laughter dies down, walking towards Jason with a grin. "So tell me, Jason… If I do promise that shit to you, helping you and keeping those rich little white kids safe, you're mine?"

"For the rest of my life." This made Vaas' grin widen and he stopped a couple measured steps in front of Jason. How this man had ever fallen to him, he'll never figure out. Sure, the privateers and Citra and the Rakyat had claimed that Vaas had died, but unlike the times with Hughes and Volker he hadn't seen Vaas' body. The pirate may have very well lived.

"I want to hear you say it, right now." Vaas was suddenly serious, and this is something Jason expected.

Jason leaned in, bringing his face dangerously close to Vaas', and savored the flicker of surprise on the pirate's face. "Help me kill Citra, the Rakyat and Hoyt; keep my brothers and friends safe and I am yours for the rest of my life, Vaas Montenegro."


	2. Vaas' Fortune

Vaas' hand was lightning fast as it snaked out and grasped the collar of his shirt. " _I'm gonna take really good fucking care of you, sweetheart._ "

Jason was too surprised to translate the Spanish, which he knows a bit of since he's from California and had a few Hispanic friends. His brain, however, immediately short circuited when Vaas brushed his lips across his own, so gentle and unlike anything he'd ever expect from the pirate lord. He found himself automatically leaning in for more, much to his own horror, and Vaas fucking obliged him. The pressure of the kiss changed quickly, demanding more of Jason, and he complied for the hell of it.

Teeth, lips and tongues battled for what seems like several minutes and when Vaas finally pulled away from him, looking overly smug, Jason was in quite a daze. He had enjoyed the kiss, probably looked thoroughly flushed if the sudden warmth in his cheeks was any indication. God, he was so going to hell.

"I thought you fucking hate me, cariño?" Vaas practically purred the endearment out, and Jason was quite certain the pirate lord was calling him sweetheart. Thank god he was already blushing.

" _You_ tried to kill me four fucking times, after killing my older brother and letting me fucking escape your island." Jason's tone was flat now, his gaze cool and steely. "I think I killed you, but never saw a body like when I killed Hughes and Volker."

Vaas' expression changed to one of disbelief, likely because when he killed someone they stayed dead. "You killed Hoyt?" Ah, that was what he had picked up.

"After he cut off my ring finger, yes, I killed him and his guards with my bare hands." He hadn't carried a knife in there, hadn't been allowed to, but he'd had a knife in his hallucination, and it certainly hadn't been the one Sam had stuck in his boot. The one Volker had used on him he had defended himself against until he had ended up using the hallucination knife and Volker's own knife on him. His ring finger tingled at the memory.

"So, four times? How did I try to kill you?" He looked honestly intrigued, the expression foreign on his face. That he didn't want to know about Hughes' death, or any further explanation on Hoyt's death slightly baffled Jason. At least Vaas had heard everything he had said though.

This was all so very surreal, but Jason knew that this was actually happening. "You doused me and my ex in gasoline and tried to burn us alive. You tied me to a cinder block and tried to drown me. You shot a fucking rocket launcher at the helicopter I was in, and upon finding me still alive shot me point blank and tossed me into a mass grave." Jason watched as the pirate lord frowned, eyebrows knitted together while his forehead creased slightly. "I rather not go through all of that again if I can avoid it."

"And what is to stop you from killing me when this is all said and done?" The thought hadn't crossed Jason's mind. Vaas wasn't satisfied with just the little explanation in the video itself, or the restated pledge that Jason would be his.

"The fact that I value the lives of my friends and family. That I know you could make a call and my mother would be dead within a matter of minutes. That you could just kill me and sell everyone off anyways, but I know you wouldn't. You're tired of the fucking leashes, and how Hoyt and his privateers keep harassing you and your men. I destroyed his operation once. I can do it again, and I know who I can get into contact with on the inside. I just rather not have you trying to kill me at the same fucking time." Jason kept his gaze as steely as possible, expression wrought into a frown that mirrored Vaas'.

"Let me see your Tatau." Vaas was already tugging on his left arm as he quickly changed the subject and had it turned over to examine the markings. His gaze skimmed over the variety of herons, sharks and spiders, not really concerned with them. It was when he spotted the inked version of that fucking dagger that his grip tightened around Jason's arm. "Have you slept with my sister?" No term of endearment this time. His grip was still tight and his voice deadly.

"Your sister fucking drugged me and had her goddamn way with me while I was on a fucking hallucinogenic trip to hell. It was not fucking enjoyable when I think back on it." What she had done was technically considered rape, and he'd been too pleased as punch that he was succeeding at something to stop and think on it.

Vaas seemed to relax at that and he let go of Jason's arm. "Do you want to get rid of it?"

Jason stared at Vaas, dumbfounded by the question. "Get rid of…the Tatau?" Was that even possible? As far as he knew Vaas had been Rakyat, but he had no Tatau. Had he gotten rid of his own Tatau? "You can do that?"

"Sí, cariño. I can get rid of the Tatau." Vaas turned and moved away from him, actually presented his back to Jason. The pirate lord was moving to a door that Jason recognized, only to pause when he noticed that Jason wasn't following him. "Well, do you want the damn thing off or not?"

Jason had to wonder at that. Was the Tatau beneficial to him at this point? Other than trying to get close to the Rakyat, it really wasn't. It was just something they had used to mark his progress. It wasn't like the damn thing was magical. "Er… Yeah, I do." God, he sounded so stupid. He quickly followed after Vaas while he wondered at just how the man could remove the Tatau. They entered a long corridor, with a multitude of doors.

"I'm not gonna lie. It's gonna fucking hurt, 'cause we have to rip the magic out of you," Vaas started explaining, making Jason falter mid-step. The pirate lord turned when he heard the American stumble and scowled at him.

"Magic?" Holy shit. Why the fuck was it magical?

"Sí. Citra's magic. The Tatau ties you to her." Vaas was serious. Almost sanely so.

"That's… Fuck." Jason knew he had to get it off then. He wanted nothing to do with Citra, or her goddamn magic. He was also going to kill Dennis if he ever came across the man again. The fucker had put it on him while he'd been unconscious and unable to consent to it.

"Those were my thoughts too when I found out about it." Vaas resumed walking down the corridor, though it was only for a few short feet to a heavy looking metal door. He pulled the door open, and it creaked slightly, then motioned for Jason to enter first.

Jason entered, dreading that it might be a trap, but instead he was met with the sight of a lush bathroom. Out there in the corridor and the rest of the building—from what he'd seen—was crappy concrete flooring. This bathroom had… "Holy fuck, is this marble?"

"Sí, cariño. I like-"

"Expensive things." Jason spared Vaas a glance, the pirate lord a little put out by his interruption. "Good thing I'm fucking priceless?"

"Sí," Vaas agreed a little grudgingly. "Get undressed, cariño." The pirate lord moved over to the jacuzzi in the center of the room. He started to run the water for a bath, and once he was satisfied with the temperature he got up and went over to a large cabinet against the wall to the right.

Jason complied, only because he really didn't think he had a say in anything he did now and because he wanted the damn Tatau off. He let his gaze wander over the back wall, which was nothing but a floor to ceiling mirror and reflected everything in the room. There was a lavish open shower on the left side of the room, and a rather mundane toilet compared to the rest of the bathroom.

"How much of your Tatau have you completed?" Vaas called out the question from the cabinet, as though how much of the Tatau he had mattered. It most likely did.

"All of it." Jason's admission is immediately followed by a crash and what he is certain are a few of the more colorful swears words and phrases in Spanish. Now he assumed that yes, it did matter.

Vaas was fuming as he stomped back over to the jacuzzi with an armful of supplies for the bath. "Fucking white boy making things more difficult than they need to be. Get the fuck into the tub!"

Jason swallowed down what might have been an angry retort in his own defense and got into the jacuzzi. He winced at the initial sting from how hot the water was and slowly eased down into it while Vaas set down a bag of Epsom salt on the edge of the tub, along with some large white candles. There was also a small ziploc bag fill with what appeared to be sage in bundles, and another bag of leaves he didn't recognize. Last was a bottle of liquid of some kind, and a small circular container that looked like one of those bath scrubs. He couldn't make the connection between any of what the pirate lord had retrieved, so he just sat there looking dumbfounded while Vaas turned the water off.

"Gonna have to use all of this shit to get her fucking claws out of you, Jason. It's gonna hurt a hell of a lot too." Vaas had a displeased frown, though Jason wasn't certain of the pirate lord's mood anymore than he could read him. "We'll get her claws outta you, and then I'll make you mine."

Jason could only think of one way that could be accomplished, but thankfully he was red enough from the bath that his blush went unnoticed. He had signed up for this, and anything else the pirate lord threw at him.

"You're awfully quiet now." Vaas was staring at him, even as he opened up the bag of sage and pulled out one of the bundles. A lighter was pulled out, one that Jason recognized, and Vaas lit the end of the sage bundle, his attention back on whatever he was doing. He let it burn for a second or two then tamped the flames out on the edge of the jacuzzi. The sage continued to smoke, and the pirate lord gently waved the the smoking sage over where Jason sat.

There was nothing mocking about the statement Vaas had made, like Jason would have expected from before. Was this really the same psychopath that had done more than enough horrible shit to him to last a lifetime?

"Never really expected you to have…" Jason let the sentence die on his tongue, because he was certain that even if Vaas did have a nice side then the pirate lord wouldn't want it pointed out. He had a quick temper and could go from calm to raging psycho in zero seconds flat.

"Have what? A nice side?" Vaas concluded for him anyways, to which Jason nodded almost meekly. A grin, unlike his usual manic, shit-eating one, flashed across his face. "I can't afford to be nice in front of my men or even Hoyt, cariño, so don't expect to get the same exact treatment you're receiving in here out there. You're offering me something that's worth it, so yeah, I'm going to treat you nicely when it's just us." The first smoking bundle of sage was set onto the far corner of the jacuzzi before a second one was lit and the process repeated. The second one was put on the counter of the sink near the cabinet the items had been retrieved from.

Jason blinked out of surprise. He hadn't expected the pirate lord's reasoning to be that simple. "Is that why you keep calling me sweetheart?"

" _You speak Spanish?_ " Vaas actually looked excited at the prospect that Jason knew Spanish, and had paused in setting up the candles almost strategically around the circular jacuzzi.

" _A little_ ," Jason responded reluctantly and glanced down at the water.

" _Don't worry about it._ " Vaas gave a chuckle then went around lighting the candles, murmuring something Jason couldn't catch under his breath.

Jason didn't dare interrupt, having figured that what Vaas was doing was extremely important. He was watching him now, intensely curious about the odd ritual the pirate lord was doing. The candle lighting only took about two minutes and then Vaas was picking up the bag of Epsom salt. "So what is all this and what does it do?"

"The smudge sticks help to cleanse the air." Jason guessed that he meant the bundles of sage. "The candles can be done one of two ways. Lighting them during a waning moon helps to remove negative energies, while during a waxing moon they are used to help bring in positive energy. They also need to be white." This all was starting to sound like a spell of some sort. "Epsom salt and chamomile leaves for the bath water to help cleanse the body and soul. Lavender oil to help relax the mind and body." As he spoke Vaas added a measured amount of each ingredient to the bath water then stirred it with his hand. "Last is a sea salt scrub-"

A ruckus out in the corridor interrupts Vaas' explanation, which had the pirate lord quickly getting up from where he'd sat on the edge of the jacuzzi. The same gun from earlier was drawn from the back of Vaas' pants and the safety quickly turned off as it was aimed at the doorway.

"Jason!" Grant was suddenly in the doorway, and he wasn't constrained. It was like he was meant to die. His gaze swept over Vaas, his expression hardening at the sight of Jason in the jacuzzi behind the pirate lord. "What are you doing to my brother, you sick fuck?!"

Even though he couldn't see all of Vaas' face from where he was sitting Jason can tell that the pirate lord was absolutely pissed. He lowered the gun, regardless, and shifted so that Jason was hidden from Grant's sight. "I'm going to let that one slide, hermano, just this fucking once because your little brother wants you safe." His tone was low and deadly as he stared down Grant.

Grant moved further into the bathroom while a pirate rushed into the doorway behind him. His brother was quick to react, dodging the blow aimed for the back of his head, and tripped the pirate rather easily.

"Grant, I'm fine!" Jason moved to get up and out of the tub, but at the sloshing of water Vaas turned and pinned him with a dark look. He sank back down into the water, almost stunned into silence. Almost.

"Stay in the goddamn tub, Jason," Vaas growled at him then turned his attention back to Grant. Yep. He was definitely going to be bipolar.

Jason was pretty much used to that already. He wasn't going to be that much different than the Vaas he remembered. "I'm still in the fucking tub. Let me talk to my fucking brother, 'cause he sure as hell won't listen to you." His gaze slid over to Grant, who had snapped the downed pirate's neck by this point and was getting up, likely to take on Vaas now.

Vaas twitched at Jason's backtalk, if only slightly, but kept his gaze on Grant. "Fine, but I'm not going anywhere."

Grant had a look of utter confusion on his face now as he looked from Vaas, who moved aside, to Jason. He apparently didn't know what to make of his brother mouthing off to one of their captors, and had he known that Vaas was the one in charge here… "J, what's going on?"

Jason shifted in the tub, only to be awarded with another dark look, which he ignored in favor of giving his brother a flat expression. "I'm doubtful you'd ever comprehend or believe what I'm going to tell you, but I'm not the same little brother you remember from before last night."

"What are you talking about, J?" Grant looked so lost, and it was understandable. To him, Jason was pulling a complete one-eighty on him. Had never looked at him like Jason was looking at him now.

"Oh, where do I fucking start? The beginning? No. We're past the beginning and things aren't happening exactly the same. The skydiving trip was a goddamn trap, but you know that now. I knew that last night, after being sent back by a crazy bitch on a goddess shtick because I wouldn't kill Riley, Liza, Daisy, Ollie and Keith. Told me to not make the same mistake twice too. So you know what I did?" Jason glanced at Vaas, who was watching him with a look of interest. "Would you show him the video I made for you?"

Vaas glowered but pulled Jason's phone out of one of his pockets and held it out for Grant to take. When the eldest Brody brother didn't move to take it he gave an undignified huff and all but stormed over to Grant. He shoved the phone into Grant's hand then promptly retreated back over near Jason. " _Fucking white boy._ "

Grant glowered back but quickly turned his attention to Jason's phone. As soon as he turned it on he found that it was already on the aforementioned video, and so he started it over from the beginning. As it played through his grip on the phone tightened noticeably, and Jason could tell that Grant was seething. "Why didn't you say something to me, J?! You… You can't give yourself to him! You can't do that! What about Liza?"

Jason noticed that Vaas tensed at Grant's raised voice, but pushed any thoughts aside on the pirate lord's reaction for the time being. He had a brother to console. "What about her? We were in a rough patch before this shit already, and wouldn't have lasted anyways. I'm perfectly fine with the offer I've given Vaas, and whatever he decides to do with me is up to him as long as he upholds his side of the bargain." His gaze flicked to Vaas, who was looking more irritable by the second. He didn't like being kept out of a conversation that involved him, it seemed. "And I didn't say anything because honestly, how would it have sounded? Crazy right? I would have thought so if you had started spouting off shit like this."

"J…"

"Don't, Grant. Just don't. I wouldn't have been able to convince any of you even with the goddamn magical tattoo on my arm that he is helping me get rid of." He turned his gaze away from Grant now, uncomfortable with the look he was now sporting. Betrayal. Something inside of him rankled at that look.

"But you hate him… How could you..."

God, this wasn't going to end anytime soon, and Jason was pretty sure there was another step to this cleansing bath he was getting. " _He_ hasn't done anything yet to warrant me hating him, so I'm doing my best to let go of that." Which was best considering that Vaas had kissed him and seemed adamant about calling him sweetheart. "I'll probably be going to hell with everything I've done, and everything I plan to do, so I might as well enjoy myself on the way there."

Grant didn't have anything else to say. His brother just shook his head and looked down at the phone in his hand once more.

Jason spied two more pirates now standing in the doorway, and Vaas had noticed them as well because he scowled at them outright. A slew of Spanish left the pirate lord, too fast for him to keep up with, but he managed to catch the word for friends in there, and Hoyt's name. One pirate bolted back down the corridor while the other dragged the corpse from the bathroom. Grant was thankfully left alone.

"You need to go out to the main part of the warehouse, white boy." Vaas set his gaze back on Grant and was glowering more severely now.

Grant gave Vaas a dark glare, then glanced at Jason and sneered. "If this is what you want, then fine, J. I'm not going to stop you." He left with that after having dropped Jason's phone on the floor.

Jason tried to not let Grant's attitude toward him affect him, but a hysterical laugh left him. He knew he didn't have to look at Vaas to see the look of concern the pirate lord was giving him, but he looked anyways. Vaas was definitely concerned, and angry. "Vaas…"

"I'm not going to tolerate that kind of shit from him, Jason." Vaas sank down onto the edge of the jacuzzi and picked up the container of sea salt scrub. "And you, you little shit, talking to me like that. You're a fucking bold one, cariño."

"You're not mad about that?" Jason had thought that he would be.

"A little." Vaas' tone became nonchalant while he twisted open the scrub container. The pirate lord dipped his fingers into the scrub and brought them out coated in it. "Give me your arm," he demanded, to which Jason complied. His sea salt coated fingers hovered over the top of the Tatau while he held Jason's arm with his free hand, the container left open on the side of the jacuzzi. "This is the part that really hurts, cariño."

As soon as the sea salt touched the Tatau it felt like his entire arm had caught fire. The sensation quickly spread out to the rest of his body and he let out a hiss of pain instead of screaming like he truly wanted to. Vaas hadn't even started scrubbing at the Tatau. Oh, he was definitely going to kill Dennis for putting it on him.

"Try to talk to me, Jason." Vaas did start scrubbing now and the sensation turned to one that he suspected acid would feel like.

"I'm going to carve your sister's heart out of her fucking chest and feed it to the fucker that started this goddamn thing on me without my motherfucking permission," Jason snarled out while he did his best to not thrash. Instinct was trying to get him to lash out, to do anything to stop the pain.

Vaas faltered slightly but quickly resumed scrubbing at the Tatau with the sea salt. "This was done without your permission, cariño?"

Jason tried to focus on Vaas' question, his eyes screwing shut while a keening whine tore from his throat. He tried to twist away from Vaas, away from the pain, but the pirate lord held his tattooed arm in a vice like grip.

"I know, cariño, I know. _I'm going to kill the fucker that did this to you._ "


	3. Jason's Downward Spiral

Jason wasn't certain how long it took, but it had felt like it had taken forever to remove the Tatau. He had finally started screaming at one point, he wasn't sure when, but by the time it was over his throat was beyond hoarse. The pain of the cleansing vanished with the last of the Tatau, and once his body finally registered that he had slumped against the side of the tub in relief. It was gone.

Vaas thankfully didn't remark on the screaming, just drained the water out of the tub and then pulled Jason out with a rather fluffy towel at hand to wrap him up in. "You're going to be tired for a while, and without Citra's Tatau you will feel a little unbalanced."

Jason had enough energy in him to snort and even rolled his eyes. That was response enough for how he was currently feeling. Drained and unable to move. He couldn't do anything else for the moment, so he was a little embarrassed that he was being dried off and dressed by Vaas.

"I mean it, Jason. You're going to be out of whack without that fucking thing on your arm, unless…" Vaas trailed off, and Jason automatically didn't like how he just dropped his sentence like that. It made him assume that Vaas was going to suggest something terrible. "No. You're not in any condition right now to have me put one on your back."

Put one on his back? Another magical tattoo? Jason almost croaked out a firm no, but he refrained from doing so. If Vaas wanted to put a magical tattoo on his back, then so be it.

"What do you think, cariño? Would you like me to put my own Tatau on you?" Jason tiredly glanced up at Vaas, a slight grin on the pirate lord's face that made him actually look a bit sane. "I won't do it unless you want me to, otherwise it won't work right."

The Tatau wouldn't work right if Jason didn't want it? Was that why he had been able to refuse Citra in the end? Because some part of him hadn't wanted any of this? He debated on it for a long moment, which gave Vaas enough time to finish dressing him, and figured it wouldn't really change anything.

"Sure," Jason rasped out and winced slightly at the pain in his throat. At least he was being given a choice this time. "Won't change anything."

Vaas lifted him up into his arms, without so much as a grunt, and held him bridal style. Jason knew that he weighed one hundred ninety-seven pounds, and though he wasn't certain as to how much the pirate lord himself weighed, it couldn't have been more than him. He had also noticed that he had a good five inches on Vaas as well, not that it seemed to make any difference to Vaas.

"We'll have to get you some tea to help with your throat." Vaas carried him out of the bathroom and instead of heading towards where he knew Grant was, and assumed Riley and the rest of his friends to be, he went further down the corridor. They passed by several doors before Vaas stopped at one near the end of the hallway and nudged it open. "But for now you'll want to sleep."

"But my-" Jason's protest was quickly silenced by Vaas pressing his mouth to his ear and he shivered slightly at the action. His ears were an erogenous zone for him, along with his neck and shoulders. As the pirate lord's lips moved, claiming the shell of his ear, Jason tried to suppress a slight whimper, but it's already there, a high pitched noise in the back of his throat. His throat ached more, but he doesn't care because having his ear toyed with (after having gone through what he considered to feel like dying) feels so much better that the sand papery feel in his throat was nothing.

"Oh? You like that?" Vaas' voice was decidedly soft, but his tone bordered amusement and Jason could have sworn there was a note of curiosity in there too. The pirate lord proceeded to carry him into what he could barely make out to be a bedroom.

Jason didn't know what to do, or to say (and saying something would only hurt), but he gave another whimper as Vaas nipped his earlobe in a manner that was almost tender. Nothing else came after the nip, thankfully, and he was wholly aware of being set down onto something soft enough that he is dozing almost immediately, yet firm enough that he didn't sink down into it any. It took Jason a moment to realize that he was on a bed.

"Rest now, Jason. Don't worry about your friends or anything else," Vaas purred at him, a hand running through his hair. The action was rather comforting and soothed Jason into a blissful slumber.

-HMHF-

Jason awoke quite suddenly, feeling lighter than he could remember in a while, and is immediately aware that he is alone in a bedroom that is unfamiliar to him. It took a few attempts to sit up, his body oddly weakened, but he manages and slowly looked around the room once he was steady enough. It looked nothing like he imagined a room belonging to Vaas would look like. Everything was clean and neatly organized, from a few books to a ton of movies. Most every movie was VHS, but there were a few DVDs as well.

A slight creak drew his attention to the door and he tensed, a hand reaching for a weapon that wasn't there, before he realized that it was more than likely Vaas, because he couldn't picture the pirate lord letting just anyone come into his bedroom. He was right and relaxed at the sight of his former arch nemesis, something he'd never thought he would have done before Citra and her petty rage.

"I figured you'd be awake by now, cariño." Vaas was carrying a plate of food in one hand and a steaming mug of something that he hoped would soothe the ache still lingering in his throat. "Drink this first," Vaas ordered, handing him the mug of what smelled like peppermint tea with traces of eucalyptus.

Jason complied, because it had been his intention regardless, and took a few careful sips of the steaming beverage, the faint taste of honey adding to the peppermint and eucalyptus. It wasn't as hot as he'd thought it'd be, so he took a larger swallow and the relief in his throat was wonderful. The heat from the drink actually helped too. "How long was I out for?" He asked cautiously after another swallow of the tea.

"Just for the night." Vaas sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, and the plate of food he held was put onto Jason's lap. "Your friends are really annoying. They think I've killed you or some stupid shit, and you brother is all sulky."

Jason knew that he was talking about Grant and found that he didn't care that his older brother was acting like this anymore. He had resigned himself to this fate, and even if he hadn't he wouldn't have been able to leave the Rook Islands after everything he'd been through. "Grant will be fine," he muttered tersely and finished off the tea. He glanced down at the plate and was relieved to see a recognizable meal of scrambled eggs and what looked like bacon. It was most likely boar, though, considering the animal population of the islands. "They're all alive and safe, and that is all that matters at this point. What they think or feel isn't something I'm going to bother myself with."

"That's cold, cariño, but I get it." Vaas plucked the empty mug from Jason's grasp and got up from the bed. He started to head for the door.

"Vaas," Jason called out, making the pirate lord pause in his tracks and glance at him with a questioning look. "Thank you." He watched as Vaas' expression twisted slightly, a half scowl directed at him.

"Eat your food, Jason." Vaas quickly turned away and went out the door, but Jason had caught the faint signs of a blush anyways.

He was positively floored at that, and stared at the empty doorway for a long moment. His stomach gave a miserable gurgle and he finally turned his attention to the food. Thankfully Vaas had thought to give him a fork, and he was surprised that it was a regular metal fork as opposed to a cheap plastic one. He ate the food at a sedate pace, intentionally delaying having to see his friends and brothers once more. Whether Grant had told them anything or not, he found he truly didn't care.

A rather pensive Vaas returned by the time Jason had finished his food, that same half-scowl on his face. He said nothing, just walked over to the bed and plopped down on it. Instead of remaining sitting he laid back, across Jason's legs, and folded his arms under his head.

"I didn't mean to make things weird," Jason began after a few minutes of a silence that felt strange to him, which had Vaas shifting enough to look at him. "But I mean it. You probably don't get thanked a lot," if at all. "I never would have thought something like this could ever happen, even after everything I've done, yet here I am. It's so odd and just so fucking surreal. I keep expecting that this is all a nightmare, that I've gone down into another fucking nightmare instead of waking up." He's almost rambling now, but Vaas was thankfully just listening to him. "But I refuse to do the same thing over and over again, and expect things to turn out differently."

Vaas actually cracked a smile at that, having recognized his own words coming from Jason's mouth. "Definition of insanity?"

"I could probably recite your goddamn monologue word for fucking word. It's a fucking award winning speech in my book." Jason found himself smiling back and at ease with his former arch nemesis, even if the fucker was cutting off circulation in his legs. "Now would you please stop putting my legs to sleep?"

"I'm touched, cariño. Really, I am." Vaas grinned almost cheekily and heeded Jason's request, shifting to move from off of his legs. He grabbed the plate from off of Jason's lap and set it aside so he could put his head there instead.

Jason blushed heavily and froze up from the intimate position they were in. Vaas was watching him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat and obviously amused. Even when nice the pirate lord was unpredictable.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Vaas purred out Jason's name and relished the way he swallowed nervously. The pirate lord bared his teeth in a rather predatory smile and reached up as casual as could be to trace his thumb along the edge of Jason's jaw. "Such a pretty face you have there, Jason. C'mon, tell me what's wrong."

Jason didn't know if there was anything that was wrong, other than the fact that he'd willingly put himself in this position. There was also the fact that Vaas was being weirdly affectionate towards him, on top of being nice, and it didn't bother him as much as it should have. "Just trying to adjust to this…and you. You're throwing me for a goddamn loop."

Vaas frowned at first, then broke into another grin and teasingly traced his thumb down Jason's neck, drawing a slight shudder from him. "Then let me be your balancing point, cariño." His fingers cupped the side of Jason's neck while his thumb settled over the American's pulse which was starting to pick up. "Why so nervous? Or is it something else that is making your heart beat faster?"

"I…" His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't find the proper words to accurately answer Vaas. The pirate lord's grin just widened and he moved off of Jason's lap, shifting to kneel on the bed. Jason found himself being pressed down onto the bed with Vaas soon hovering over him.

"Si?" Vaas continued to grin, leaning down so that their noses were almost touching, his usually brown eyes so very dark. "What is it?"

"Vaas…" Jason's voice was a strained whisper, his heart pounding hard enough that he could swear Vaas was able to hear it.

"Si, Jason, I am Vaas. Now what is it?" Vaas' grin was almost feral, and Jason swore that it seemed like the man wanted to devour him alive. It brought to mind what had been said by the alternate pirate lord who had shot his brother.

Jason was certain that Vaas was teasing him on purpose, but the affectionate gestures and words weren't to mock him. Not at all. And the look that he was currently receiving. "You, you fucking tease," he finally got the words out, his cheeks warm as he held Vaas' stare.

Vaas chuckled low in his throat, the sound sending a thrum of something through Jason. "You're gonna be a goddamned force to be reckoned with once I'm done with you, cariño, and you… You. Are. Mine." He closed that little bit of distance between them and caught Jason's mouth in a hard kiss.

Jason groaned into the kiss and returned it as he moved an arm to wrap around Vaas' neck. He received a sharp nip to his lower lip that had him gasping, and then Vaas' tongue slipped into his mouth. The pirate lord tasted of peppermint, spice and a hint of smoke, flavors that Jason briefly thought he could get used to.

Vaas had a hand at Jason's side, which he slid down to the American's hip and slipped under the thin blue shirt Jason wore to trace over the skin there. Vaas continued to explore Jason's mouth while his fingers made idle patterns on his hip, which drew a stifled gasp from Jason. He withdrew from the kiss after a moment, leaving Jason panting for air, and cracked another predatory smile. " _You are gonna be beautiful, my tiger."_

Jason was more than certain that he was half-hard at this point, and his mind was a muddled mess from the kiss. Then there was the Spanish, spoken in a heated tone, that he could barely translate. Tiger. Vaas had called him his tiger. That made little sense to him, but it was still so damn hot. "Fuck."

Vaas gave a throaty laugh and bent down to pepper Jason's throat with kisses. "Not enough time for that, cariño, but I certainly am tempted." The words were murmured between the kisses, and Jason fought to stifle the keening whimper that tore from his throat regardless of his attempt. "Your friends are waiting for you, Jason." Vaas wasn't finished with him though. He caught a section of skin between his teeth and bit down hard.

Jason moaned and writhed under Vaas, the thought of his friends and brothers pushed aside. Fuck them. He didn't want to go seem them right now. He wanted this to continue. "Vaas... Please!"

Vaas let go of the skin on Jason's neck and smirked dangerously down at the American. "Uh uh, cariño. You're not strong enough right now. I'd eat you alive with the state that you're in." His gaze flicked from Jason's face to the bruise that was forming on his neck, his smirk still rather evident.

Jason didn't understand how Vaas could just stop in the middle of whatever the hell this had been. It had been the start of some rather interesting foreplay (as far as Jason was concerned) and holy fuck he was actually considering sex with Vaas. Like truly considering pouncing on the man right then and there to shred his clothes, remove them any way he could and just continue. "Holy fuck."

"Can you feel it, cariño? The tiger in you?" Vaas was practically purring at him, his irises lighter now, the chocolate shade evident, as he stared at Jason with a half-lidded gaze.

Jason didn't have a clue as to what Vaas was talking about, and his face scrunched up in his confusion. "Tiger?"

Disappointment flickered in that gaze for only a second and Vaas gave a soft sigh as he got up from over Jason and off of the bed. "This is why. You can't feel it yet. Citra and her fucking magic deadened you to your natural instincts, to your true self. She fucking caged you, but me…. I broke that cage when I removed her Tatau from you, cariño. You need time to recover and to adjust being without it."

Jason frowned at the explanation he was given, and while he still couldn't comprehend what Vaas was going on about he did give a slight nod. He sat up and studied the pirate lord as he walked away from the bed, moving across the room to a dresser where he started rummaging through the drawers. Vaas was incredibly tense, and a mix of…feelings seemed to be radiating from him?

Anger. Lust. Desire. More anger. Need. Sadness.

Jason blinked at the sudden influx of emotions, uncertain of how he was sensing this, but it quickly vanished. He was overly confused and still wracking his brain on the whole him being a tiger thing. What was with that? And if he was a tiger, then what was Vaas? "I still don't really get it right now, but if I'm a tiger, what are you?" he questioned aloud.

"I'm the motherfucking dragon to your tiger, Jason. The Yang to your Yin. Right now, though, I am stronger than you, so there is no balance between us." Vaas turned around after a few minutes with some black cargo pants, a red tank top and socks. He brought the clothes over and dropped them onto Jason's lap, his demeanor more sedate now. "You are like a cub right now, weak and defenseless, while I am a fully grown, fire-breathing monstrosity of a dragon."

Jason hadn't really paid attention to other cultural subjects such as this, but he got the gist of it. He did know that Yin and Yang were opposing energies, but that was as far as his knowledge went on the matter. The animal theme was new to him though, so he was going to have to rely on further explanations from Vaas. As the clothes were dropped onto his lap he eyed the red tank top with some trepidation, the color ingrained as bad in his psyche. It was something else he would have to adjust to, so he wasn't going to reject the offer of clean clothes. That they were Vaas' made him feel oddly happy somewhere deep inside of him. "No undergarments?" he asked, ignoring the comment of him being likened to a cub.

"Nope. Commando is better, cariño. You will see soon enough." Vaas just grinned at him in an infuriatingly knowing manner, teeth bared in that predatory expression he was starting to expect. "Now get dressed." And with that he sauntered out of the bedroom, leaving Jason to get changed.

-HMHF-

Jason walked out into the main part of Vaas' warehouse/living area to shouting. The pirate lord was leaning against a stack of crates, and Liza was standing a few scant feet away from him screaming her head off. That Vaas looked like the perfect picture of calm in the face of Jason's ex-girlfriend screaming at him sent all sorts of warning signals to his brain. There was a faint stirring of anger at what she was doing, and he could feel his facial muscles pull into a snarl. "LIZA!"

His yell cracked through the warehouse a lot louder than he had anticipated, but it garnered the result he was aiming for. Liza had shut up and all eyes were on him. Jason didn't bother to look at his brothers or friends to see their reactions. He only had eyes for Liza at the moment.

"Jason!" They all called for him at the same time, but Liza's voice was the only one he was focused on. He stalked toward her while she just stood there and stared at him, her expression quickly going from relief to confusion. He looked like one of them, the pirates.

Vaas' red tank top fit him neatly, but the cargoes were slightly too big for him and hung low on his hips, though it couldn't be seen with the hem of the tank top thankfully covering the top couple inches of his pants. His gaze went to the pirate lord for a quick second, taking in the appreciative expression that had formed there, then back to Liza.

She was looking him over with that still confused expression on her face, her gaze lingering on the bruise that had formed on his neck. "Jason… Is that a hickie?" Her expression has morphed from confusion to hurt, as she knows that she hadn't put that mark on Jason, and he knows it.

Jason's expression had lessened just a little, and the urge to rub the mark in Liza's face was the first thing on his mind. It would be cruel of him, and he knew this, but he so does not want to deal with her right now that he was willing to hurt her emotionally. "Why, yes, yes it is a hickie, Liza. You were just screaming at the person who gave it to me too." That cruel part of him relished in the hurt blossoming even further in Liza's expression, but at the same time he knew it was likely to make the others distance themselves from him.

"Jason…?" Everyone else has remained silent, but Liza was now on the verge of tears, her lower lip trembling. The sight did nothing to calm him or even make him feel remorse. He only gives her a sneer while he stepped in closer, his teeth partially bared in a manner that made him look feral.

"Back the fuck off and stay the fuck away from Vaas, Liza." He stared her down, but she was quick to shrink away from him and to flee back over to where the others were grouped together. Jason was almost disappointed.

"Jesus, Jason. What the hell is wrong with you?" Daisy was quick to step forward to defend Liza, the blonde's expression one of anger. She doesn't even flinch when Jason turned his attention to her.

"Looks like Grant hasn't told you anything." Jason's voice was cold, his gaze flicking towards his brother who returned his stare with a stony silence. "I knew the skydiving trip was a trap, because I've already gone through this fucking shit once. I'm not going to waste my breath on all the goddamn details, but Grant and Vincent would have ended up dead, I was stupidly roped into helping out a psychopathic bitch to help decimate Vaas here, and his merry band of pirates, along with his boss and his merry band of fucking military grade privateers. Said psycho bitch is Vaas' half-sister who had a goddamn magical tattoo put onto my fucking arm without my consent and was trying to turn me into some fucking warrior. The final test? I had to kill you, Liza, Riley, Ollie and Keith. When I refused to do that, she got pissy and sent me back using some of her fucking magic."

Jason paused, only to take in a breath, and he looked around to see varying levels of shock on his friends' faces. Shock and something akin to betrayal. "Since I wouldn't have been able to explain why we couldn't go on the skydiving trip without looking like I was fucking insane, which I might add that I probably already am at this point, I decided to circumvent having any of you dying by offering myself to Vaas. He has obviously accepted my offer and the stipulations I gave him." Stipulations he was no longer going to waste his breath repeating.

Everyone save for Grant still looked to be in shock, but he was done with explaining the situation to them. He had glossed over a lot, and intentionally kept the fact that they would have almost ended up as slaves, while Keith had suffered a worse fate at the hands of Buck. Then there had been when he had to torture Riley. Anything else was none of their goddamn business.

"Jason?" It was Riley who called his name, and Jason looked to his baby brother, his own expression softening. "That tattoo you were talking about…" Riley's gaze went to his left arm, now barren of the Tatau. "I would have believed you if you had shown it to us. I had noticed it when we were leaving the hotel, and I had been studying it when some more of it appeared on its own."

"We all would have listened to you, J." Grant speaks up now, his expression still stony but his tone was soft. He had apparently been thinking the conversation from last night over. "We wouldn't have gone on the trip."

Jason didn't want to believe his siblings. Nor did he want to believe that his friends would have chosen to not go on the trip if he'd just sat down and try to convince them. "So you're saying that now that we're in this situation, you wouldn't have gone skydiving if I had shown you the magical tattoo and let you gawk over it while appeared? I don't think so. That could have easily been argued as disappearing and reappearing ink."

His friends and siblings didn't know what to say to that, so Jason gave them one final sneer before he turned to Vaas. "Are we done here, Vaas? I would love to go kill something right now."

"Just one thing, Jason. Maybe two." He turned his attention to the group that was obviously deciding to disassociate themselves with Jason, his expression nearly mirroring what Jason's had looked like almost perfectly. "I don't give any fucks about any of you rich little white kids, but Jason here does. He is the reason why I have put up with your fucking disrespect and rudeness so far. The next time one of you disrespects me or him, I am going to fucking show you who is in fucking charge here. _Do you fucking understand?_ " Vaas doesn't wait for a response and Jason honestly doesn't expect any of them to answer to the pirate lord. They're all giving him mixed looks of fear and hate. "You will each be given a room, since I am such a gracious fucking host here, to do whatever the fuck you want in. Don't fuck with me, Jason, our plans and operations, and everything will be fucking peachy."

Jason waited a beat, and when nothing more came from Vaas he lightly touched the pirate lord's shoulder to gain his attention. As soon as that dark brown gaze was on him he nodded toward the heavy double doors that led outside.

"Si, let's go find something to kill." Vaas took the lead, since he had a dozen armed men outside, and Jason followed after him without so much as a backward glance.


	4. Vaas & Jason's Hunt

Jason was not the least bit surprised to have a dozen guns aimed at him as soon as he walked outside behind Vaas. Really, it was understandable. That he was even wearing their colors at least made them hesitant, as well as confused. The stupid fucks. Vaas, of course, was still pissed off from the whole thing with his friends and brothers (and most definitely Liza), and Jason once again caught a flicker of emotions. The sheer potency of them almost made him woozy.

Rage. Possessiveness. Bloodlust. Protectiveness.

"Don't you fucking aim your weapons at him!" Vaas moved faster than he could follow and snatched an AK47 from one of the closer men. The pirate in question actually gave a rather undignified squeak, if Jason's account of the event was to be believed, and cowered away from Vaas. All of the pirates, even the ones near the compound that hadn't been posted to watch the doors (their orders had been to not let the Americans come out if they were standing watch in front of the compound) all looked their way. "Do you want me to fucking kill you stupid chickenshit fucks?! I said don't aim your fucking weapons at him!"

Jason did his best to calmly return the uncertain and confused stares of the men still aiming their guns at him, a slender brow raised. They quickly lowered their weapons while Vaas roughly shoved the muzzle of the AK47 against the temple of the guy who had held it.

"Oi! All you stupid fucks come here!" Vaas' order was undeniable, and had the scattered pirates scrambling to make their way over. "Carlos! Where the fuck are you?!" Only one pirate broke through the ranks and seemed quite calm as he approached Vaas. "There you are, Carlos. Jason, this is Carlos, my right hand man."

Carlos was almost as tall as Vaas, but was just as skinny as Jason. He was darkly tanned, and from what Jason could tell, Carlos was closer to his own age, though Vaas didn't appear to be much older. He had short, black curly hair and dark eyes. Those eyes seemed to study Jason, and lingered on the dark bruise that was stark against the pale white skin of his neck.

"Carlos, this is Jason, but you and these stupid fucks will call him Snow White. He seems to prefer that for some reason." Vaas had continued on with the introductions, and Jason had to wonder if any of the pirates (Vaas included) had seen the Disney movie of Snow White. Why everyone had given him a moniker (which stuck with even him) like that was beyond him, but the sheer terror it had invoked towards the end of everything… "If any of you, and I mean any of you, so much as look at him funny I will put a goddamn bullet in your fucking skull. The little pussies in there," at this Vaas jerked his head toward the compound they had just exited, "Are also off limits. That includes the fucking women. I hear even a rumor that one of them has been touched by you fuckers, I'm gonna let Snow here deal with you."

All eyes turned to Jason now, who simply stared back with a rather neutral expression. "Boo, motherfuckers." He deadpanned the phrase (incomplete as it was), and even then some of the pirates actually flinched. There's the telltale sign of a grin on Vaas' face while Carlos just gave a shake of his head. Letting his gaze slide over the faces of the gathered pirate underlings once more he noted a few expressions of irritation and anger. That would not fucking do. With a quick roll of his head that had his neck cracking a couple of times, he calmly strode towards the closest pirate who didn't have fear in his eyes, not realizing that his gait and mannerism was a near perfect match to Vaas'.

The pirate he had chosen to confront unwittingly raised his gun, one that Jason recognized as a D50, but he didn't have a chance to fire it at all. Jason seized the gun in his left hand, the pirate's grip on it incorrect, and at the same time jabbed into the unnamed pirate's solar plexus with his right elbow. He was a natural with a gun, the skill one of his own since before he had come to the islands, and he also had some prior hand to hand combat experience, all thanks to Grant, so he kept his momentum going with the likeness of a pendulum (like the movements of a Dempsey Roll) and whipped the butt of the handgun's grip across the pirate's face. The action sent the pirate feeling back, and using the unbalanced position his target was in he swept his legs out from under him.

Jason dropped down into a crouch, a grin stretched across his face that had the pirate on the ground, who was groaning out curses in Spanish while he clutched at his face, going utterly still. As his right hand closed over the grip of the D50, the weight of it wholly familiar, his grinned widened maniacally. "You were being fucking rude. The next time you're rude to me I'm gonna slit your fucking throat open." He canted his head to one side as he observed the pirate for another moment then got up from his crouch.

Looking around, Jason noticed that all of the pirates had practically cleared away from where he had downed their comrade, and they had intensely fearful expressions on their faces. Satisfied that he had effectively shown them that he was competent in handling himself, Jason turned right back around to look at Vaas, and of course Carlos. Carlos looked spooked, but Vaas… Vaas was giving him the oddest look, and there came another flicker of emotions from the pirate lord.

Lust. Pride. Awe. Amusement.

"Boss, I think you found the white version of yourself," Carlos muttered, though it was loud enough for Jason to catch it.

"I'm what now?" Jason questioned as he walked back over to them, the D50 still in his possession. "And can I keep this?"

"Sí, the gun is yours, Jason. As for what Carlos was saying, you put the fear me into my men." Vaas was grinning now, obviously tickled by what Jason had done. His explanation simply didn't make sense.

"Okay?" Jason frowned now, his gaze shifting from Vaas to Carlos and back. Vaas just chuckled at him while Carlos sighed and muttered something about 'why me?' under his breath. "Seriously, what on earth did I do?"

"You did something super fucking sexy is what you did. You should do that more often." Vaas' comments did nothing to help explain what exactly Jason did, but the pirate was cheerful and grinning. He motioned for Jason to come closer, and upon complying wrapped his arms around the American's waist. And they were outside, with the pirates all watching them. So much for how he was going to treat him differently in front of the pirates.

Jason didn't even think to wonder where the AK47 Vaas had held was now at, because it certainly wasn't in the hands that were groping his ass. Faint traces of a blush colored his cheeks, but Carlos was the only other person that could see Jason's face. "That still doesn't tell me what I did." He really hoped that Vaas would stop dancing around the subject and just… Oh, the sneaky bastard.

"You did a very accurate impression of the boss, even if you were missing the accent and… I'm gonna leave you two alone now." Carlos backed away from them, though Jason couldn't tell if it was out of fear for interrupting Vaas when he was like this or because he was uncomfortable with the public display. Jason hoped it was the former.

"Goddamnit, Carlos! You ruined my fun, you fucker!" Or quite possibly that.

And Jason was registering what Carlos had said. He'd basically impersonated Vaas. Vaas had found it super fucking sexy and was groping his ass, going so far as to slip his hands under the fabric of the cargoes he now wore. Vaas wanted him to act like him more often. "I'm with a narcissist," he muttered then let out a slight squeak at a particularly rough squeeze from Vaas.

"No, you're with me, cariño." Jason could only laugh at that, because as fluent as Vaas was in English he didn't know what a narcissist was.

Carlos, though, apparently knew what Jason was talking about because the American could hear Vaas' second in command snickering as he walked away.

-HMHF-

Jason was trying to watch the boar that was barely ten feet in front of him, its nose to the ground while it snuffled along, but Vaas was making that rather difficult. The pirate lord had insisted on shadowing him, but Jason knew within five minutes that Vaas wasn't particularly interested in hunting right now. "Will you stop staring at my ass?!" he hissed out, hoping that the boar hadn't heard him. It hadn't, thankfully, but it was moving away now.

"Why?" Vaas knew why, Jason suspected, and only asked so he could torment him.

"You're distracting me." Jason tossed a glare at Vaas over his shoulder then crept through the foliage after his prey. He had a machete clutched in his hand, the weapon taken from Vaas' personal stash, while the D50 was holstered at his hip. The knife had felt odd to him at first, like he'd never used one before, which he suspected had to do with the fact that it was more of a Rakyat thing.

"Would you rather stare at mine? I certainly wouldn't mind."

Jason didn't dare dignify that with a response. He wasn't certain what would come out of his mouth at this point, because it wasn't going to be a no. He also wasn't sure how he'd become so perverted so quickly to entertain the notion of ogling Vaas' ass, and he hadn't even seen the man naked yet.

A whisper of cloth against cloth, followed by hands grasping his waist pulled him out of his thoughts. He let out a noise that sounded very much like a squawk as Vaas pressed up against him, and didn't have to look to know that the boar had bolted. Forcefully guided to his knees, Jason found himself leaning back against the pirate lord.

"Oops. Looks like your boar got away." The bastard was definitely grinning, and moved his hands around to the front of Jason's cargoes. While one hand undid the button and zipper, the other had already been worked under the fabric and teasingly traced along Jason's not quite flaccid length. "There's always later, cariño."

"Vaas…" Jason couldn't help the way that he whined out the pirate lord's name, the machete slipping from his grasp as Vaas ground against him. "Aren't you the one insisting on no sex?!" he hissed out. He briefly wondered just where the hell Vaas had been hiding this side of himself when calloused fingers closed around his cock. Jason let out a strangled gasp and rolled his hips, which drew a throaty chuckle from the pirate lord.

"Sí, but this is not sex, cariño," Vaas purred into his ear as he tugged Jason free of his cargoes, working them down past the American's hips with his unoccupied hand. He nuzzled Jason's neck, making him shiver, then gave his cock a languid stroke.

Jason bit into his lower lip and whimpered as Vaas all but tortured him to full hardness, head tilting to give the pirate lord better access to his neck. Lips and teeth immediately descended on the pale spread of skin, and caught the spot where neck and shoulder met. Jason couldn't stop the moan that left him, his hips rocking to meet the agonizingly slow strokes he was receiving. "Vaas!" There was a flare of pain from where Vaas was biting him, but it felt oddly good and had him whimpering again.

"Fuck!" Vaas had let go of his neck, and his tone was slightly worried as he paused in his ministrations. "I broke through your skin that time, cariño."

"Then fucking bite me somewhere else, Vaas!" Jason growled out in frustration, twisting slightly so he could glare at Vaas over his shoulder. He was rewarded with a look of shock from the pirate lord, but it was quickly replaced with a feral smile, Vaas' lips stained with his blood.

"You are too good to be true, my tiger," Vaas rumbled and gave Jason's cock a firm squeeze and stroked the length from base to head. A twist of his wrist had Jason moaning out his name, head lolling back to rest against the pirate lord's shoulder.

"Oh my, are we interrupting something here, Vaas?" A voice that Jason wouldn't ever forget spoke up from behind them, making both of them freeze up. A soft whine unintentionally left Jason while Hoyt Volker, the bastard that he is, strolled around to their front. Accompanying him was none other than Bambi _Buck_ Hughes, who just so happened to be eying Jason rather hungrily. "Oh no, do carry on with your little pet, Vaas. I was simply wondering why you hadn't returned my calls."

Jason was inwardly fuming, but managed to give Hoyt what he hoped was a sweet smile. He had an idea, though, and shifted his weight further back against Vaas before man could speak. "I must apologize for monopolizing my master's time, sir. I wanted to go hunting and… Well, things happened." His voice came out amazingly calm and if he had thought that Vaas had gone tense as soon as Hoyt had made himself known, the pirate lord had stiffened even further.

"Is that so?" Hoyt looked them over, his gaze lingering on the D50 holstered onto Jason's cargoes and the machete a scant few inches from his knees. "What a polite little thing you are, and well-armed too, for a pet. Does he have a name, _Vaas_?" It was obvious that Hoyt wanted Vaas to answer this time, the way he stressed the pirate lord's name in such a disdainful tone.

"Yeah, Boss. This is Snow White. Snow, this is my boss, Hoyt, and the _gentleman_ with him is Buck." The hand that had gone back to his hip was now squeezing him so hard that Jason knew he was going to bruise. Vaas was upset, and while he wasn't going to show it on his face, Jason could certainly feel how upset he was.

"You know, Hoyt, if you want to talk to Vaas alone I could entertain the little lady here." Buck would have liked that, Jason thought and drew his D50 with a saccharine smile.

Vaas hissed something indecipherable into his ear while Jason gave his absolute best impression of the pirate lord's insane grin and aimed the gun just slightly to the right of Buck. Without an ounce of hesitation, he pulled the trigger and after a few seconds a thud was heard some fifteen feet away from them. By the graces of whatever divine entities were watching over them, a deer had just so happened to be walking through the trees at that moment.

"Oh look, master, we get to have Bambi's momma for dinner." Jason was pleased to note that Buck had gone as white as a sheet while Hoyt had simply watched the scene unfold with a rather thoughtful expression. Vaas seemed to be muttering prayers in Spanish under his breath, which Jason didn't even bother to try and figure out. "Would you like to join us for dinner, sir?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, right Vaas?" Hoyt seemed quite adamant to not directly address Jason after the initial introduction, but his gaze was fixed on the American.

"Yeah, Boss," Vaas managed in a weak voice.

"I'll leave you to your _hunting_ …" Hoyt motioned for Buck to go on ahead of him, which the Australian seemed more than glad to do, then followed after. He only paused once he was a few steps behind them, as if a thought had suddenly come to mind. "And Vaas, do try to keep up with your reports. I expect one tomorrow morning." With that he left them there, just about the same as he had found them.

Once Jason was certain he could no longer hear their footsteps he exhaled forcefully and absentmindedly rubbed at his now tingling ring finger. Vaas seemed to be in a worse state, if his trembling was anything to go by, and had let go of him. Jason twisted around, awkwardly shuffling on his knees so that he could face the pirate lord. "Vaas?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, you almost gave me a fucking heart attack! What the fuck were you thinking?! He could have killed us both!" Vaas was panicking, and not in a good way.

Jason had to distract him, so he did the only thing that came to mind and dropped the D50 to grab Vaas by his face to pull him in for a hard kiss. He caught the taste of his own blood, which was still smeared on Vaas' lips, and nipped at the pirate lord's lower lip rather sharply. This had the desired result and Vaas grabbed him by the hips once more.

He returned the kiss, if only for a moment, then forced Jason away with a snarl. "Don't try to distract me!"

Jason responded with a growl and dropped his hands down to Vaas' chest. He shoved the pirate over and promptly moved to pin him down. "We're still alive, goddamnit, and I'm still fucking hard, you fuck!" Achingly so. Jason pressed all of his weight onto Vaas and held the pirate lord down with one arm while he did his damnedest to get out of the cargo pants. After a moment of struggle, Vaas totally not helping with his thrashing, he finally managed to kick his boots off with the cargo pants quickly following.

It was at that precise moment that Vaas flipped them over and gave his own growl, the sound bordering on inhuman. Without any warning he lowered his mouth to Jason's shoulder and bit down hard, which drew a strained whimper from Jason. He held the bite for a full minute, breathing hard through his nose, and when he pulled away his mouth was bloodied again.

Jason's shoulder stung, but the pain did little to affect him, and he ignored it in favor of reaching up to swipe his thumb over Vaas' lips. This caused the pirate lord to snarl at him again, but Vaas thankfully didn't move to get up or bite him further. Instead, he watched as Jason lapped his thumb clean of the blood, his expression shifting from anger to lust.

"You twisted little fuck." Vaas sounded almost unhinged, which was probably an accurate way to describe the both of them. "You're going to be the goddamn death of me, Jason."

"Not today, Vaas. Definitely not today." Jason gave him a near cheeky grin and reached down between them to grope Vaas through his pants. This got the desired reaction of Vaas moaning and cursing at him in Spanish. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were turned on by that little display."

Vaas opened his mouth to argue but Jason circumvented that with a firm squeeze that had the pirate lord letting out a strangled moan as he thrusted against Jason's hand. " _Oh fuck! You sneaky little fuck!_ "

Jason just grinned, having something of an idea as to what was said, and undid Vaas' pants. He slid them down just enough to free the pirate lord's erection. "But I know for a fact that you were turned on before that little display." He purred the words out while he wrapped his fingers around Vaas, enjoying the strained way the pirate lord stared at him. He didn't give him any chance to try and speak, didn't want to hear anything argumentative, so he gave the cock in his hand a firm stroke, hand twisting slightly as it reached the head. The resultant moan was positively beautiful, but this wasn't enough for Jason. He wanted and needed more.

Vaas was thankfully and apparently having the same exact thoughts, because he returned his hands to Jason's hips and tugged at them insistently. He shifted the American so that he was properly under him then slid his hands down to Jason's thighs.

"Jesus fucking Christ, just get me off already," Jason snapped and rubbed his thumb over the slit in Vaas' cock, wiping away the pearls of precum. The pirate hissed at him then roughly dragged his thighs up around his waist. Oh. That made fucking sense. Complying to what Vaas had in mind, Jason wrapped his legs around Vaas and hooked his feet together at the small of the pirate lord's back. The position felt awkward, but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable and it had their groins pressed together. And oh, fuck.

"This what you fucking wanted, cariño?" Vaas hissed into his ear and ground against him, pulling a strangled no from Jason. "Tell me what you want, Jason!" he snarled, mouth moving to nip, suck and bite at Jason's neck.

Jason knew what he wanted, and he shouldn't have to start with, but he did. He wanted Vaas to fuck him, but because of the stupid dragon and tiger bullshit (or whatever his reason) the pirate lord was determined to deny him that. So Jason was going to settle for this, and then he was going to pry all the answers he could from Vaas. "I want you to shut the fuck up and get me the fuck off already." He rocked his hips sharply and let out a harsh growl that sounded inhuman to his own ears. He didn't dwell on it, simply grabbed both of their cocks and fisted them together.

Vaas met his movements with a hard thrust, a ragged moan in his throat, and covered Jason's hand on their cocks with one of his own. He hissed something indecipherable and leaned up to thrust again, the friction undeniably sweet and heady.

One of them, if not both, moaned and Jason couldn't tell who it came from anymore. His eyes had screwed shut and he continued to meet Vaas' thrusts while the pirate lord guided their hands. "Vaas!" His cry was met with a rough squeeze that had him whimpering.

"Not yet, Jason. Open your eyes and look at me, cariño," Vaas cooed at him, his grip relenting only slightly. Jason acquiesced and opened his eyes to stare up at the pirate lord, whose expression was almost tender. "There we go."

"Vaas, please!" The plead is met with a smile and a tantalizingly slow stroke. Jason tried to rock his hips again, but Vaas had grabbed a hip with his free hand and was now holding him still. He was at a loss, a whine edging out from his throat while Vaas slowed down. "Vaas, dragon, please!" He didn't know what made him call Vaas that, but it seemed to work. Vaas sped up his strokes, something having shifted in his expression, and Jason all but howled out his orgasm.

Warm semen splattered on his partially exposed abdomen (definitely on his tank top) and got all over his hand thanks to Vaas. The pirate lord wasn't too far behind him, Jason's name on his lips while his body trembled. Once Vaas was fully spent he slumped over Jason and affectionately nuzzled his jaw. It was nice, and a little strange, but definitely nice.

"Master, huh?" Vaas questioned in a rumbling manner, as if he was just now realizing what Jason had called him in front of Hoyt and Buck.

"Considering you run a slave trafficking camp, it was the only thing that would work without looking too suspicious. We obviously can't tell him otherwise, because he wouldn't have believed it." Jason hadn't been prepared to confront Hoyt so soon, and that Buck had been there… "Vaas, I don't know how much you weigh, but you're kinda heavy." He tried to push the pirate lord off, but Vaas was being difficult and just stayed where he was.

"One eighty-five." Vaas nuzzled Jason again, his eyes half-lidded as he regarded the American from his peripheral. "And you're comfy, cariño."

"And we're out in the jungle with a deer corpse bleeding out barely fifteen feet away from us. There are fucking real tigers in this goddamn jungle, not just me, Vaas, so get the fuck up." Jason tried not to sound irritated, but he really didn't want to come across an actual tiger at the moment. He was dirty and sticky.

"Fine, fine, my tiger. I'm getting up." Vaas complied, but not before pressing a chaste kiss to Jason's lips. He stood and tugged his cargoes up with his cleaner right hand while he seemed to regard the semen covering the fingers of his left. Jason watched as the pirate lord licked the viscous substance then hummed thoughtfully. "You need to eat more fruit, cariño. You will taste better if you do," Vaas commented as he casually finished licking his fingers clean then fixed his cargoes.

Jason scrunched his face up before he finally stood and pulled his tank top off. "More fruit in my diet, got it." He used the cleaner parts of the tank top to wipe himself off with then retrieved the black cargoes and pulled them on. His boots followed, along with the D50 and machete, all while Vaas intently watched him. "I am so glad that deer walked by when it did. I was afraid that Hoyt would have actually acquiesced to Buck's _idea_."

Anger and possessiveness rippled across Vaas' face at that comment, a harsh hiss leaving him. "I'd have gutted him myself! Fuck the goddamn consequences! You are mine! MINE!" It was actually rather endearing how worked up Vaas was getting, an absolutely primal air around him as he stalked over to Jason.

"I hope the same can be said for you, Vaas." Jason's statement actually stopped Vaas cold in front of him. "That you're mine too," he elaborated in a cautious tone as Vaas stared at him.

"Well of course I'm yours, cariño, but don't forget who wears the pants in this relationship." Vaas' scowl had melted away and he seemed quite calm now. Jason had to wonder about that, because he could still feel a simmering possessiveness from Vaas. "Now let's go get Bambi's momma and go home." The pirate lord snickered at the Bambi reference, his thoughts likely on Buck, while he walked past Jason and towards the downed deer.

Jason, however, had paused at the very last part of Vaas' comment. Home. It wasn't something he'd given thought to, but he didn't really know where home was. Only, that really wasn't correct. Trailing after Vaas, the beginning of a smile on his face, he realized that it didn't matter _where_ home was, just who he was with.

"Color me impressed, cariño. You're a fucking natural with that gun." Vaas whistled appreciatively as he looked over the doe. Jason had gotten it clean through the eye, which was a feat considering the D50 was better used up close.

"Grant showed me how to use one a few years back. He actually taught me quite a bit, but I've always been a really good shot." Jason sighed and gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't want to talk about Grant right now. "This dragon and tiger stuff. What can you tell me about it? And the whole being able to feel what you're feeling thing?" At least that's what he thought that was.

"You can sense my emotions?!" Vaas was no longer interested in the deer. He whirled on Jason and grabbed him by the upper arms, his grip tight. "Are you certain?"

"Somewhat! Just flickers of the really strong ones." Jason tried to pull away but Vaas wasn't relenting. "Why? Is it something important?"

"Yes. It is very, very important." Vaas finally let go of him, apparently satisfied with his answer. "It's part of the dragon and tiger thing, but damn, I wasn't expecting you to be able to sense anything so soon."

"Er… well, it's been happening off and on all morning." Jason rubbed at his arms, hoping that they wouldn't bruise. He'd always been pale, which sucked if he wanted to get a tan. "But explain the dragon and tiger thing to me."

"Okay! Just let me gather my thoughts first." Vaas huffs at him then returns his attention to the doe. With a thoughtful scowl the pirate lord picked the corpse up and slung it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. Jason figured that all 185 pounds of Vaas' weight had to be straight muscle. Well, not all of it, but a large majority of it. "It's more than just the Chinese astrological shit. The year that **we** are born in don't mean shit. This is much deeper than the zodiac signs."

Jason nodded thoughtfully, understanding at least that much. He had never really bought into the whole zodiac compatibility thing, no matter the culture it originated from.

"Once every few hundred years or so two people who are human avatars for the dragon and tiger are born. We're always destined cross paths with one another, and to oppose one another. It is very rare that we ever work together, but when we do…" Vaas trailed off with a grin, a faraway look in his eyes as he seemed to think on something. "You will see what happens when we work together, cariño. It will be fucking beautiful." He added after a moment then started back in the direction of the camp.

"Okay…" Jason had been expecting more of an answer than that, a frustrated scowl flitting across his face. "Is that all there is to it?" God, he hoped not. Following after Vaas, he found the sudden opportunity to study the man's backside.

"No, no. There is a lot more to it. The dragon is quick-tempered, relies on magical stability and incredibly headstrong. The tiger is also quick-tempered, but relies on physical stability and is just as headstrong as the dragon. The dragon rules over water and the east, while the tiger rules over the jungles, living creatures and the west. Both are incredibly territorial, and are usually quarrelling. Like I said earlier, we are naturally inclined to oppose one another, but beautiful fucking things will happen when we work together." Vaas seemed utterly convinced of that. Still, it begged a question that was now burning on Jason's tongue.

"How did you know about being the dragon?" Jason quickened his pace, coming astride of Vaas to his left, and glanced over at him.

"It wasn't until after I freed myself from Citra that I realized what I was. Her Tatau never agreed with me, felt wrong and like it was twisting me. When I got rid of her Tatau, that's when I could feel it, clearly and truly feel it. Then there was also this." This turned out to be water forming in a sphere that hovered over Vaas' outstretched hand.

What the fucking fuck? Jason was fucking hallucinating. He had to be. "H-how?"

"The dragon rules over water, Jason, and I'm the dragon, duh." Vaas said it like it was the most obvious thing ever.


	5. Jason's Plans

Vaas could literally control and manipulate water, and it turned out that he didn't need a source to pull the goddamn water from. Correction, water was in just about everything, so maybe he was just pulling from what was already there.

"I must be in some alternate fucking reality, because you could not do that shit where I came from." It was the only thing that made sense to Jason.

"Are you sure?" No, he wasn't. "Cause I never use this in front of regular humans, cariño, and I would not appreciate it if Hoyt were to find out." That made a hell of a lot of sense.

"Okay, so maybe you could have, but then if that version of you is the same as you are now then why the fuck did _he_ not notice me?" Now there was a question Jason desperately wanted to have answered. Hopefully Vaas would make it quick, because they were nearing the camp.

"Were you ever alone with him before you had Citra's Tatau forced on you? And I mean alone with no one else around."

"No… Grant was with me, and then Hoyt had… Oh. Right." Okay, that explained a bit. Together with Vaas having claimed that Citra's Tatau had caged him and all that other shit, it explained a lot. "I didn't have any time alone with him until I had about two thirds of the Tatau filled out." It was kind of weird talking to Vaas about this, but also insightful.

"Citra had her claws deep in you by then, cariño. Freeing you from her would have been harder, and she would have known."

"Then wouldn't she know about me now? Wouldn't she try to get me to go back to her?" The idea of it repulsed Jason, and while he knew that his fears were likely unfounded he was still afraid of the Rakyat possibly abducting him and putting Citra's Tatau on him again.

"She might know about you already, cariño, but I don't have any intention of letting you out of my sight when we're not at the camp." Speaking of the camp, they had reached the edge of it by now. Several pirates ran towards them and quickly relieved Vaas of Jason's kill, their gazes carefully avoiding the American. While they carried it off to what served as the cooking area Carlos seemed to appear out of nowhere, which actually surprised Jason.

"I'm going to assume that Hoyt and Buck found you, boss?" Carlos actually seemed nervous, his gaze darting to Jason and the bloody bites on his neck and shoulder then back to Vaas. He seemed to be connecting the dots if the way that he paled was any indication. "I couldn't let him walk through the camp! We were moving Snow White's friends…"

"I understand, Carlos." Vaas' tone was exceedingly calm, his expression neutral. Jason stared at Vaas for a long moment, a vibe of unease spreading through him, while the pirate just fixedly stared at his second-in-command. "We couldn't have Hoyt finding out about the Americans."

"I…" Carlos seemed to be at a loss for words, and he certainly wasn't relieved to hear Vaas being agreeable.

"Do you want to know how Hoyt and Buck found us? What I had to tolerate?!" And there it was. Calm to raging psycho in an instant.

"N-not hunting?" Jason felt sorry for Carlos, only because his actions had kept his brothers and friends safe. Still, having Hoyt and Buck walking up on them in such a vulnerable state hadn't been the best moment of their little excursion.

"That's fucking right! They found us with our pants fucking down!" Jason rolled his eyes and didn't bother to correct Vaas' statement. "And that Aussie motherfucker eyed what is fucking mine!" Vaas' voice had risen significantly in pitch, and Jason was certain that a few people on the South Island hadn't been able to hear him. " _He eye-fucked my goddamn sweetheart, Carlos!_ "

Well, if the whole of Vaas' camp hadn't known just what Jason meant to the pirate lord before, they certainly did now. He didn't know the extent of what was said, but he knew sweetheart. "Vaas!" Jason really needed to get someone to teach him Spanish, especially if this was going to become the norm.

" _What?!_ " Vaas snapped as he turned to Jason. It took him a few seconds to realize that Jason had been the one to call him and Jason watched as the anger literally bled out of him. "What is it, Jason?"

Jason didn't answer him at first. He hadn't been sure of what he was going to say, just that he needed to get Vaas to stop yelling. "I know you're really upset over Hoyt and Buck," he started in a soft tone and because one cat was out of the damn bag already he pressed himself up against Vaas. Jason quickly wrapped his arms around the pirate lord's neck and nuzzled his cheek, hoping the shock factor of his actions would keep Vaas quiet long enough. There was going to be fallout from this, he knew it, but he would deal with it as it came up. "The whole goddamn camp heard you call me sweetheart, so just chill for a sec and listen," he murmured softly as he felt Vaas stiffen against him. "Buck's a dead man walking, Vaas, he just doesn't know it yet. Won't know it till I bury that goddamn dagger he has a hard on for through that fucking heart of his."

Vaas grasped him by the waist and seemed to contemplate pushing him away for a long moment before he finally settled on wrapping his arms around Jason. "I'm not letting you anywhere near him," he growled out in a low tone.

"Fine, you can stab him." Jason nuzzled Vaas' cheek again then shifted just enough to kiss his jaw. He chuckled breathily when the pirate lord tensed at the rather chaste kiss and pulled back enough to look Vaas in the eyes. "So you can publicly grope my ass, but I can't even kiss you when others are watching? Vaas, we scare the living day lights out of everyone…well, nearly everyone here. Who the fuck cares what they fucking think of us? We'll just put a damn bullet in them if they have anything to say about us."

"Goddamnit, Jason." Vaas wrapped his arms around Jason even tighter, an almost pouty kind of scowl on his face that has Jason grinning. "Just not in front of Hoyt when he's around. I don't want that fucker thinking I'm going fucking soft because of you."

"Yes, master." Jason enjoys the way that Vaas seems to choke on whatever he was going to say next and laughs again. He stops laughing and lets out a yelp of pain when the pirate lord vindictively bites down into the open bite wound on his shoulder. "Goddamnit, Vaas! That actually hurts, you fucking cannibal!"

Vaas growls and applied more pressure to the wound for a few seconds, then pulls away with his mouth all bloodied again. "You fucking get off on it, cariño, so I don't want to hear you complain." Jason is given an even stare before Vaas glances over in Carlos' direction. " _Get some fucking vodka and bandages, Carlos._ "

"I need someone to teach me some actual Spanish," Jason muttered as a highly relieved Carlos ran off to do as ordered. Vaas is suddenly grinning in a devious way at him and Jason has a feeling that Vaas would only teach him how to talk dirty. "I'll ask Carlos to teach me, since he's more likely to not have me go around repeating things that I should only be saying to you."

"You wound me, cariño! Really and truly, you do." Vaas is actually pouting now. Seriously pouting at him, and it just looks so damn strange (especially with the blood on his mouth) that Jason giggles. Not laugh. He giggles. Vaas growls at him and he just keeps on giggling. "You little shit." It was said almost affectionately.

"Pft. Vaas, I am like five fucking inches taller than you." Jason knows he probably shouldn't call Vaas out on the height thing, and he's right when Vaas growls at him even more, teeth bared. "You're going to get mad over that? Really?"

Vaas doesn't say anything, he just gives Jason a dark look then moves his hands down to the back of his thighs. With very little warning he picks Jason up, and the American is forced to wrap his legs around Vaas. Now that he's clinging to the pirate lord, they're almost perfectly at eye level with one another. "You were saying, Jason?"

Jason just grins then starts licking the blood away from Vaas' mouth, which has the pirate lord grasping his legs a tad bit tighter in surprise. He doesn't get away with it for very long, because Vaas's mouth is suddenly crushed against his in an insistent and demanding kiss. He still tastes of peppermint, spice and a hint of smoke, but there's also the flavor of blood on both their tongues. A sharp, metallic tang that he's quickly becoming used to.

"Fucking vampire," Vaas half grumbles against his mouth, dark eyes half-lidded and full of lust as he stares at Jason. "You better stop pushing my goddamn buttons, cariño."

"You've been under my fucking skin for weeks, Vaas." Jason whispers the words heatedly and gives a slight rock of his hips. It's not easy, and the motion is weakened by the fact that he only has Vaas supporting him. "I can't really see a difference between you and him, and my world is so fucking flipped right now that it he was in front of me killing him wouldn't even make the goddamn list. In less than a fucking day **you** have me so fucked up that I would give myself to him."

"He isn't here, Jason, I am." Vaas growls the words out and slides his hands to Jason's ass. "Who do you belong to?"

Jason moans at the rough squeeze to his ass and rocks his hips again, head tipped back as his eyes close. He knows the answer that Vaas is looking for, the specific one, but he knows that if he were faced with the Vaas of his memories… "I belong to Vaas Montenegro." And it's so fucking true, and so very fucked up. "You, him; you are both the fucking same, you possessive bastard."

"Fucking smart ass." Vaas growls and grinds against Jason hard enough that the American gives a loud, throaty moan. He pauses when Carlos returns with the requested vodka and bandages that draws a whine from Jason.

"You fucking bastard," Jason hisses as Vaas eases him back into a standing position. He's hard, again, and he knows that Vaas is in the same time exact state as him. How he can just stop like that pisses him off now more than it baffles him.

"That was so fucking hot, and yet at the same time I am still very upset with you." Daisy's voice said from behind Jason, making him jump in surprise.

A dark blush colored his cheeks as he turned to face Daisy, the blonde looking rather flushed herself. "Daisy?!" Jason's voice came out a little higher than he wanted it to. "How long have you been watching?"

"I came over when I heard yelling." Daisy let her gaze go to Vaas, the pirate lord having moved to stand at Jason's side. "I know you've been through a lot, Jason, and it's plain as day how different you really are. What you said earlier, I want to understand it better. We want to understand it better. Just…apologize to Liza, please? Grant wouldn't tell us anything, so we didn't know. She didn't deserve what you did to her. She was worried for you, we all were." Clever, level-headed Daisy. She was just as strong as ever.

Jason sighs and glances over at Vaas, the pirate lord's expression carefully neutral. "Fine." She was right. Liza hadn't deserved it, but seeing her up in Vaas' face like that had made something in him snap. She hadn't deserved it and he didn't feel any remorse over it. "Don't know if it'll mean anything since I won't actually mean it."

"Just apologize, Jason, I don't care if you mean it or not." Daisy looked like she wanted to say something more but she refrained and turned to walk away.

"It's going to take some time, but I'm going to get you guys home safely, okay?" Jason watches as she pauses slightly and glances back at him.

"And what about you, Jason?" He's taken aback by her question, mostly because they were already aware to an extent that Jason wasn't going to be leaving the islands once everything was said and done.

Jason found himself being pulled up against Vaas' side, like it was the answer to Daisy's question, but he's stunned into silence as Vaas speaks. "If he wants to leave once we're done, then he can leave. I'll be coming with him, though."

Jason tries to picture Vaas anywhere that is not the Rook Islands, but he can't just see it. He'd been so certain that he would be staying, and now… "You'd really go to America?"

"Well, you said you'd probably be going to hell, cariño. I'd be going right there with you. So, wherever you go, I go." Jason arched a brow, knowing that there was more to it than just that. Vaas didn't add anything though, just kept his possessive grasp on Jason.

"One more thing then." Daisy fixed Vaas with a steely look. "I can see where things are going with you two. Grant might never approve, but Jason is as much as my brother as he is to Riley and Grant. We'll probably even be in-laws one day. You hurt Jason and you will not know what hit you." Jason gave a groan at the obvious threat that he knew Daisy could back up and would follow through on. She fixed him with that same steely look too. "And you! You better invite me to the wedding, Jason."

What? How the fuck did this turn to wedding talk?! He didn't even… Well, he wasn't certain on his feelings towards Vaas. Jason was only certain he didn't hate the man now. Kind of liked him. Enough to want to have sex with him. The question now though… Was that all he wanted? There wasn't any other choice for him, since he had willingly offered himself to Vaas for the rest of his life. Yet he couldn't really imagine it any other way. "Fuck… It was like I already fucking knew it." He sees Daisy' confusion, but he can feel Vaas'. "I just had an epiphany."

"Would you like to share with the class?" Daisy put her hands on her hips and scowled at Jason.

"We're kind of fated, I guess would be the best way to put it." It was probably the only way to put it, especially since the dragon and tiger thing had to stay between him and Vaas. "And on some instinctive level it was like I knew that." Had been told that on more than one occasion. "So, yeah… Wedding invitation... We haven't even talked about anything beyond who wears the pants in this relationship."

Vaas gave an irritable sigh and rolled his eyes. "You're mine for life, Jason. If getting married would make you happy then why the fuck not?"

They were really talking about this. Seriously talking about this. "I wasn't even thinking about that, or anything even close to it, to be honest. You've known me for less than a day, so why are we even talking about marriage right now?"

"She brought it up, cariño, not me. Besides, we **are** fated." Vaas gave Jason's hip a squeeze then let go of him. "Enough talking for now though. We need to get those bites cleaned out and bandaged."

Daisy took that as her cue to head back to the others, and Jason watched her for a moment before he followed Vaas, who was quick to collect the Vodka and bandages from Carlos, back toward the concrete warehouse. "It's official. These Islands make everyone lose their goddamn minds."

"What, you don't want to marry me, Jason?" Vaas gives Jason a fake pout, only to break out into a grin.

Jason's ring finger tingles slightly and Hoyt's voice echoes through his mind. _Now we'll never get married, Jason._ He unconsciously clenches his hands and looks away from Vaas. "Ask me after we kill Hoyt."

"Why after we… Oh." Vaas apparently remembered that part of their discussion from when he had explained how he had killed Hoyt. The pirate lord's expression twists into a dark frown, only for a moment, and Jason swears he can see the gears in Vaas' head turning.

"Can we talk about something else? Like how badly your men need training?" Jason hopes that the subject of marriage won't come up for a long while. Why Daisy had even brought it up to start with…

"Si, cariño. We can talk about how badly my men need training." Vaas leads him over to a crate then motions for him to sit down. "But first, how are you feeling?"

Jason blinks and frowns slightly as he sits on the crate. "I feel fine." He hisses softly as Vaas prods at the bite wounds, inspecting them. "Just clean them already."

"You are doing a lot better than how I thought you'd be." Vaas mused as he opened up the bottle of Vodka. "This is going to sting a bit."

Jason knows that, but it doesn't stop him from wincing and hissing at the pain when the bites are dabbed at with a vodka soaked cloth. "Next time, Vaas, I'm going to fucking bite back."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, cariño." Vaas grins at him and continues to clean the wounds for another minute or two. "So, just how bad do my men need training?"

"I can tell you or give you a demonstration at one of your outposts." Jason hopes that Vaas will ask for the demonstration, because showing is so much better than telling in this case. He sucks in a slight breath as the pirate lord starts bandaging the bites now and wonders why there is no gauze or better medical supplies here.

"I think I'd like to see you take out an outpost." Vaas seems excited at the notion of getting to watch Jason in action.

"Tomorrow would be a good time." Jason wracks his mind for whatever else needs to be done. "We'd need a training area, here; equipment to train with; better medical supplies and a doctor. We would also need to set up a schedule, because everyone can't be trained at the same damn time. The men here would have to be rotated out to the outposts once they've passed a test or something, so the men at the outposts can be trained too."

"That's a tall order, cariño. Hoyt will get suspicious if I ask for that shit, and it'll be worse if we go behind his back." Vaas speaks with an edge to his tone, his frustration obvious as the bandages are applied a little too snugly.

"Then we make him believe that we actually need all of it. Have the men at half of your outposts pose as the Rakyat to make it look like you're losing your ground or something." Jason winces at the tightness of the bandages and shifts away from Vaas to loosen them slightly. "Without unintentionally trying to off me, please."

"Like you're so damn fragile." Vaas backs off though and looks to be thinking on Jason's suggestion.

"So, you think something like that would work?" He starts to get up but his stomach deciding to growl at that particular moment has him faltering. "Er…"

"Is my little cub hungry?" Vaas teases with a grin. He holds out a hand only for Jason to swat it away and get up on his own. "So touchy, Jason."

Jason huffs and ignores Vaas to slip past him, his cheeks tinged pink.

"I was only trying to be nice, cariño, but if you're going to start acting like a little bitch now then I'm going to treat you like one." It's the inflection in Vaas' tone that makes Jason stop and look back at him. "Now come back over here, Jason."

Jason hesitates and it's enough to have Vaas growling at him. Realizing that the pirate lord is quite serious he hurries back over to him with a slight frown. He isn't surprised that Vaas' first move is to grab him by the jaw, his hold firm.

"I like you, Jason. You are strong, smart and unbelievably lucky." Vaas brings Jason down to his eye level, his tone soft unlike the gaze leveled on him. "Mouthy too, but I don't mind that. I like that fire in you, Jason." He presses their foreheads together, his eyes closing for a second. When they reopened they're so dark and intense that Jason feels like he actually on the verge of being devoured. "Don't brush me off like that again, Jason."

Jason swallows down his nervousness and opens his mouth to answer, only Vaas has a finger pressed against his lips.

"Not yet, Jason. No, not yet. I think-" Vaas pauses in thought and after a moment he smirks. "I think I know what to do with you, my little cub." Just like that he let go of Jason and turned to start looking through the crates. "Take off your pants, Jason."

Jason blinks at the odd request then slowly removes his boots and cargoes. His blush has darkened significantly as he stands there in nothing but socks while Vaas seems to be looking for something. Something akin to terror slides up his spine when Vaas glances at him with a sinister smile.

"Socks too." Vaas pulls out a bag from one of the crates and saunters back over to Jason, who has no choice but to comply and remove his socks. As soon as they off the pirate lord thrusts the bag at him with that still sinister smile. "Put all of this on."

Jason peeks into the bag and he immediately realizes what Vaas is up to. "Vaas!" He receives nothing but a dark look in return, and swallows any argument against having to wear such a ridiculous get up in favor of not further displeasing the pirate lord. With the arguments goes his pride as he pulls what appears to be a cosplay costume out of the bag. Thank god it was mostly black, and the material breathable.

After several minutes he's dressed in stockings that stop at his mid-thigh, a sleeveless shirt that shows off his midriff and the kicker of it all? A fucking skirt that is slit all the way up both sides and held in place with some strange yellow belt and red sash, along with a bikini style pair of underwear. He contemplates on leaving the damn elbow length gloves off, but decides against it when Vaas motions for him to put them on as well.

"Albel Nox wants his goddamn outfit back," Jason hisses, but Vaas just ignores him and holds up a pair of black heeled boots with a smile. Jason inwardly curses and takes the boots from Vaas, the pirate lord snickering to himself as Jason puts the boots on. He wobbles slightly when he stands then teeters directly into Vaas' arms.

"You look fucking delicious, Jason. You should probably grow your hair out a bit, make the whole look go together, but damn if you don't look good in this." Vaas gives him a predatory grin then picks him up bridal style.


	6. Vaas' Snow White Queen

Jason kept his face hidden against Vaas' neck as the man carried him through the camp. He tried to fight down his blush, but it was to no avail. His cheeks burned, and it only got worse when Vaas set him down. He had been taken all the way to the cooking area, where half the camp was currently eating, including his brothers and friend.

Some of the pirates whistled at him, but it's short lived due to Vaas glaring at them. "Go sit with your friends, Jason." Like they hadn't had something of a falling out earlier.

Said friends and his brothers were all staring at him with varying degrees of shock. Jason did his best to not meet their eyes as he carefully walked over to the table they had gathered at. It was damn hard in the heeled boots, and God he hoped Vaas wouldn't make him demonstrate taking out the outpost in them. Or even the clothes.

"Wow, Jason. You look…" Daisy was the first one to speak up, a hand slightly covering her mouth as she recovered from her shock and tried to not laugh.

Jason glowered and sat down heavily once he reached the table. "This was not my idea," he grumbled, though it was loud enough that they heard him. He gave them all a brief glance before settling his gaze onto Liza. She was openly staring, her mouth a little slackened. "Uh… Liza?"

Liza blinked, mouth snapping shut as she looked away with a pink tinge to her own cheeks. "Yes, Jason?"

"Liza, I want to apologize for tearing into you like I did earlier." Jason hopes that he sounded sincere enough, because he doesn't really sound like it to his own ears. "You were worried-"

"Jason," Liza says his name in an almost flat voice. When she turns to look at him she isn't blushing as much. She is frowning though. "Don't. Don't lie to me, please."

"I…" Jason looks towards Daisy, only for her to shake her head at him, then back at Liza. Nobody missed that exchange. "Daisy put me up to it," he confessed as he looked down at the table.

"I know she did." That has him looking back up at Liza then to Daisy. Liza suddenly laughed, a bitter smile on her face and her eyes shining with the threat of tears. "That really hurt, Jason, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for that. Seeing you like this though…" She laughs again and wipes away a few tears that fell down her cheek. "Do you want help learning how to walk in heels? You looked like you were having some trouble there."

"Ooo… That sounds like a good idea, cariño," Vaas piped in from behind him, and Jason bets the vindictive bastard is grinning like mad. A plate filled with fruit and boar meat is put down in front of the American while Vaas sits down next to him. "Because I think that should be your outfit from now on."

"Vaas!" Jason wants nothing more to find a hole to crawl into and hide. Vaas is indeed grinning like mad, and he can sense nothing but amusement from the bastard.

"J, you signed up for this, so be a man and suck it up." Grant spoke up in a slightly chilly tone from the other end of the table. Jason glances towards his brother, but there isn't any sympathy or even pity in his gaze. There is a trace of amusement, and it's obvious that Grant thinks he deserves this.

It's a losing battle. Jason knows that. He put himself in this situation willingly, but damn if this wasn't humiliating. "Okay, fine, but how am I supposed to wear this every day if there is only one outfit like this? And I hope you aren't expecting me to take down the outpost tomorrow in these heels."

"We can get more made," Vaas said immediately, answering the first question. He paused on the second one though and frowned. His gaze went to the two females at the table, at which Liza looked away while Daisy merely returned his stare.

"It takes weeks of daily practice to get used to wearing and walking in heels for extended periods of time. Even then, it would be dangerous for Jason to wear them outside of this camp." Daisy's stare is unflinching, but when Vaas just grins at her in that slightly manic way of his she blinks in surprise. She hadn't expected a positive reaction from the pirate lord.

"Good to know," Jason grumbles and picks up his fork. He spears a few pieces of the fruit and eats them, his gaze moving back over the rest of his friends. Oliver wasn't overly concerned with him. He'd gotten ahold of some weed and was likely blitzed out of his mind if it was the Rakyat shit. Keith looked like he didn't know what to make of Jason, and he was just fine with that. Vincent, however, had a distinct look of disgust on his face. "Something the matter, Vincent?"

"I never took you to be a fag." The statement was loud enough that everyone around them, pirates included, stopped what they were doing and looked their way. Several of the pirates even reached for their guns, because of who the statement was directed at and the implication it made in regards to their pirate lord.

Jason dropped his fork onto his plate and pressed his hand against Vaas' chest as soon as the pirate lord shifted to stand up. "No. I'll handle this." He glanced towards Grant and Riley. His older brother was absolutely pissed while his younger brother was a mixture of angry and upset. "Nobody bullies a Brody over their sexual preference."

"And what are you going to do about it, fag?" Vincent has gotten up from the table now in the anticipation of a fight.

Jason snorts and doesn't move. He isn't going to waste his energy on fighting Vincent, even though he could very well kick his ass. "I'm not going to lift a fucking finger because you have about a dozen guns pointed at you right now. I give the fucking word and I know they'll shoot."

"Like these stupid motherfuckers would listen to you. Besides, wouldn't that make you a goddamn hypocrite, since you're trying to keep us alive?" Vincent's tone doesn't shift much, but Jason can almost taste the slight fear. It's like Vincent thinks he's safe because he's a friend, despite the undercurrent of anger coursing through the pirates.

"I am trying to keep my family and friends alive, Vincent, as well as safe. You are really close to being unfriended, and not just by me from where I'm sitting. As for whether or not Vaas' men will listen to me…" Jason tries to stand now, but the damn heeled boots make it difficult. He grumbles slightly and toes them off before he stands on the bench. "Pop Quiz, boys and girls!" He raised his voice so the cluster of pirates can hear him, thankfully drawing their attention away from Vincent and onto him. "Here's the goddamn hierarchy for the Rook Islands: Hoyt is the motherfucking Emperor and Vaas is the goddamn King here. What the fuck does that make me?"

There's a moment of silence and then one of the pirates stand up. "Snow White is the Queen!" Several more pirates yell out the same thing and while his brothers and friends are rather confused Vaas is beside himself with amusement. It's almost surprising, because the pirates are scared of him, but then with who their boss is… Maybe it wasn't as much surprising as it was shocking.

"What do you say, Vaas? Do you agree with your subjects?" Jason risks a glance down at the pirate lord and is met with an absolutely feral grin. Christ, he was stroking Vaas' ego without even trying.

"You heard them, Snow White. You're the Queen here." Vaas wraps a hand around his ankle and traces his thumb over the stocking clad skin in a circular pattern.

"Okay, next question! Who else was insulted when the insignificant bug insulted your Queen?" Jason tuned out Vincent's sudden sputtering and raised a brow when all the pirates shouted out either Vaas' name or simply referred to him as the King. Just what the fuck did he start with giving them those titles? "What on earth have I started here?" He asks it low enough that only those closest to him can hear him.

"Looks like you started a goddamn monarchy." Vaas purrs at him, his hand sliding up his leg.

"The monarchy was already here, I think I gave it a name." Jason fights down his blush while the pirate lord's hand creeps higher. "So what do we do with the mouthy idiot? We can't let him go free, we can't send him to Hoyt and we can't… No. We could kill him."

"We can't kill him, J, not over a goddamn insult." Grant seemed like he was trying to keep his temper reigned in, his gaze on Vincent as he spoke. "Chain him down and put him to work."

"And have him do what? Mechanic work? So he can sabotage shit? No. There's really no option but to kill him. He's being a goddamn bitch about my thing with Vaas, whatever our goddamn relationship is right now, and he also insulted Riley with that too." Jason swatted at Vaas' hand now, as it was obviously resting on his thigh and visible to anyone who cared to look. "Take your hand off of my leg," he hisses at the pirate lord.

"How about you humiliate him?" Riley is the one to suggest that, much to Jason's surprise. "People who bully others are usually insecure themselves, and they tend to bully others on what they are insecure about."

"Sometimes it is not that damn simple, Riley, but we can give it a shot." Jason gives his little brother a slightly awkward smile, because he has to swat at Vaas' rather persistent hand once more, then turns his gaze back to Vincent. "So what is it that is driving your hatred for my relationship with Vaas? You certainly weren't like this earlier in the warehouse. Was it seeing me dressed up like this? Like I'm some damn chick?"

Vincent seems to twitch slightly at the crossdressing suggestion and Jason figures it must be related to that. He isn't going to dig very deep into the matter since he's still hungry.

Vaas' hand disappears from view under the knee length skirt and Jason has to take in a deep breath to keep himself from reacting negatively to the pirate lord's lewd behavior. After a moment he forcefully exhales then moves to sit back down. Instead of sitting down on the bench he awkwardly crams himself onto Vaas' lap. "Someone get Vincent a dress so he won't feel left out. And heels! If I have to wear them then so does he!" Like hell he was putting those damn things back on right now.

A couple of the Pirates roughly, and thankfully, drag Vincent away. They have enough smarts to gag him too, and within a minute Vincent's muffled screams fade into silence.

"So… What's with the Snow White thing?" Riley breaks the silence, his tone curious. "And are you…"

"It's something that stuck with me from before. Wouldn't feel right if there wasn't a Snow White terrorizing the Rook Islands this time around. As for what I think you're trying to ask, Vaas is the **only** man I'm attracted to." Jason gives Vaas a side glance, the pirate lord grinning at him as he wraps his arms around the American's waist. "You are fucking incorrigible."

"You like it, cariño." As if to prove his point Vaas slips a hand back under the skirt to teasingly graze his nails over the uncovered skin of his thigh.

Jason clamps his mouth shut to keep himself from making any sort of noise but he can't stop the shiver that Vaas' touch brings. He glares at the pirate lord, receiving a playful grin in response, and tries to shift on Vaas' lap. The arm still around his waist tightens and Vaas gives a very soft growl, making Jason stop his movements.

"You still need to eat up, Jason," Vaas says with a show of his teeth. "You've barely touched your food."

Like that was his fault. Jason glowers at Vaas again then pulls his plate over so he can actually eat now. He picks the fork back up and unceremoniously stuffs the fruit on it into his mouth.

"So, uh, Vaas… You know more on that magical tattoo thing, right?" Grant broaches the subject almost nervously, his fire and anger from last night and this morning mostly gone.

"Si. It is called the Tatau." Vaas looks away from Jason, his smile replaced with a more serious expression as he focuses on Grant. "The one that Jason had when he came here was my half-sister's handiwork. It certainly enhanced his speed, strength and skills, but it also would have controlled him had he actually consented to it. Since it was first applied to him without his permission, which I take to mean that he was unconscious at the time, her control over him was tenuous at best. That was the reason why he was able to fight to not complete the ritual for the final Tatau mark and was sent back here."

"So wait. She can control people wearing her tattoo thing? Is she the real life Voldemort or something?" Riley's questions, while good, had Jason nearly choking on a piece of fruit.

Jason could actually kind of picture Citra looking like Voldemort and the mental image was not pleasing. The picture stuck too. "Holy fucking Christ, I did not need to think of that. Thanks for that, Riley, because I cannot un-fucking-picture Citra with a snake face."

"Why would you…" Vaas clearly doesn't know what to say, but it's certain that he's likely trying to picture Citra the same way. " _My God, that is creepy._ "

"I don't know what you just said, but I think I'm going to agree with you." Jason eyes his plate of food with sudden distaste. The hunger is still there, but the desire to eat isn't. Still, he picks his fork up one more time and forces himself to eat.

"So, that aside. She can control people wearing her Tatau as long as they consent to it. She's trying to create what she considers to be the ultimate warrior with the strongest person wearing her Tatau. For that she will have sex with them once they have completed the final ritual to conceive a child and then kill them off." Vaas explained it in an almost bored tone, but Jason could feel the emotions coming from the pirate lord like they were a damn tidal wave. Vaas was anything but bored or calm. He was angry and so very protective. Jason knew why it was too, because he'd been so close to finishing the Tatau, and so close to dying at Citra's hands.

Everyone else seemed to realize that as well, because they were all quiet and staring at Jason. It was making him uncomfortable and eating was impossible now.

"I have definitely lost my appetite now," Jason mutters and pushes the plate away. He'd nearly died more times than he could count, but Citra's would-have-been impending betrayal was just… It was fucked up. At least everything made sense now. Everything Vaas had been trying to tell him back then made perfect fucking sense now. _You are so_ _ **fucked**_ _, Jason._ And he had been, for the most part. "Goddamnit."

"Something wrong, cariño?" Vaas murmurs the question into his ear, his tone overly concerned.

"Remembering a very apt fucking warning I was given." Jason leans into Vaas and closes his eyes halfway. "I'm going to kill her with my bare hands, and I'm going to fucking enjoy it."

"You can kill my sister, but I'm killing the fucker that put her Tatau on you." Vaas presses a short kiss to his temple then thankfully withdraws his hand from under the skirt. He reaches for Jason's abandoned plate of food and picks up a piece of fruit with his bare fingers. "C'mon, Jason, eat up." The morsel is pressed to Jason's lips and held there until the American sighs and takes it into his mouth.

Around them his brothers and friends kindly ignore the display and go back to eating their own fill. No one seems to be in the mood to talk, and this goes on for several minutes, Vaas slowly feeding Jason by hand while they're politely ignored.

"You said something about taking down an outpost tomorrow, J?" Grant's tone is a little intrigued, and the mood around the table seems to shift.

Jason sits up a little more on Vaas' lap and looks at his older brother with a faint frown. "Yeah. I'm demonstrating how much his men suck at guarding their outposts."

"Hey! They're yours now too, or did you not establish yourself as the Queen here?" Vaas has another piece of fruit ready and waiting for him, the supply on his plate nearly completely diminished by now.

"I… Goddamnit. Fine. We're going with the monarchy theme." Jason sighs and takes the fruit from Vaas, nipping the man's fingers as he does so. He's rewarded with a soft growl and a gentle tightening of Vaas' arm around his waist. "I am demonstrating how much **our** men suck. I've got a training regimen in mind, but we don't have the equipment for half the stuff I want to teach them."

"I could help," Grant offers, an oddly determined look on his face. "It'd beat sitting around doing nothing all damn day."

Jason frowns in thought and lets his gaze slide over the remainder of their group. "It'd make things go a hell of a lot faster." He ends up staring at Riley, who has a distinct deer in headlights look. "Want to learn how to pilot a helicopter?" Vaas shifts a bit under him, but Jason nudges him with his elbow.

"Er… I guess? Won't it be hard though?" Riley looks from Jason to Vaas, who likely has a dark look on his face. "I don't have to…"

"You won't be under any pressure and can take your time to learn the controls. I know you can do it, Ri." Jason gives his younger brother a smile that he hopes is encouraging.

"I… Okay?" Riley casts a nervous look at Vaas then glances at Jason, a weak smile forming on the youngest Brody's face.

"Just… Just don't blow yourself up or anything." Vaas seemed like he had wanted to say something else, likely along the lines that there were a limited number of helicopters on the Rook Islands, but this statement, this demand from him was a pure surprise.

Jason says nothing, because he doesn't want to ruin this moment where Vaas is showing concern for someone outside of himself or Jason. He just leans against him again and presses an affectionate kiss to the pirate lord's scruffy jaw. Vaas stiffens slightly and the moment is effectively ruined anyways.

"I'm turning into a fucking marshmallow because of you," Vaas grumbles, making Jason chuckle and kiss his jaw again.

"Not to interrupt whatever moment you two are having, but I'm a pretty good mechanic myself. Boats are more my thing, but I can do some work on cars and probably learn how to maintain a helicopter." Daisy pitched to them, and Jason figured that he really shouldn't be surprised. At least with Daisy she wouldn't try to betray them like he suspected Vincent would.

"Well damn, I'm gonna feel all left out. You got anything for me to hack, or electronics for me to deal with then I'm your guy." Keith offered up next, and at the mention of him hacking things Jason got an idea.

"Oh!" He wriggled on Vaas' lap, which had the pirate lord hissing in his ear for him to stop moving, to turn and get a better look at Keith. He ended up with his back against Vaas' chest, the pirate lord oddly rigid under him. "We can take control of the radio towers for ourselves!"

"Say what?" Keith blinked at him, and of course he wouldn't know what Jason was talking about.

"There's a total of eighteen radio towers on the islands. The North Island has eleven and the South Island has the remaining seven. When Hoyt came here he had them taken over and installed scramblers in them. If we can put our own scramblers on them then we would have a-" The sound of gunshots from across the camp interrupts Jason's explanation, and before he even realizes it he's climbed off of Vaas' lap and is running towards the noise. The pirate lord is fortunately hot on his heels, along with a small group of armed pirates.

The noise of gunfire takes them in a direction that has dread coiling in Jason's gut, especially once they come across a dead pirate. He pushes himself to move faster, and he's vaguely aware of Vaas yelling for him to slow down. He can't because this path leads to the spot where Grant had already died once. There's silence ahead of him, and another dead pirate, and Jason doesn't stop even then. He moves straight for the jungle, but before he can get too far something trips him.

Jason expects to hit the ground, even closes his eyes and tries to brace himself. The first thing he's aware of when he doesn't hit the ground is that there is a distinctly wet something pressed along the front of his body. It is keeping him mostly upright, is in fact pushing him upright. A glance downward has him momentarily freaking out, but then he remembers Vaas' ability to control water and finds himself actually awed. Upset that he was being stopped, but still awed over what was happening. There was a thin layer of water over his skin and clothes and it was what had kept him from hitting the ground. It was also getting him wet.

"Don't ever…fucking run off…like that again." Vaas has managed to catch up to him, a sheen of sweat on his skin and his breath coming out in pants. He looks exhausted, and Jason has to wonder if it was because he had used his ability to control water. Perhaps that was why he was also out of breath.

"I…" Jason doesn't know what to say, but at least now he's standing on his own even though he's half-soaked. He knows, though, that Vincent had escaped, and is likely running the very same path he had once before.

"Come here, Jason." Vaas' command is firm and Jason immediately complies, only for the pirate lord to wrap him in a crushing hold. At least he'll get somewhat wet too. "Don't ever do that again."

"Vincent escaped." Jason finally got his voice back, but it's likely already too late. He remembers his awkward stumble through that particular section of jungle, and he wonders if the bridge he'd tried to cross will hold for his former friend.

"I don't care, Jason. I don't fucking care about him right now." Vaas' emotions were pretty clear on that with how oppressive they were. The pirate lord grasped him by the jaw and forced Jason to meet his gaze. "Do not do that again, Jason."

"I won't, Vaas." His voice comes out in a whisper, and his throat is suddenly dry because the clearest of emotions he is sensing from Vaas is fear. "I'm sorry." The words come out automatically, but it doesn't have to take him long to realize that he means them.


	7. Jason's Point of No Return

Vaas picks Jason up after several minutes of just standing there, their men running past them to chase after Vincent, and the American clings to him. Jason presses his face against Vaas' neck and closes his eyes, a sigh escaping him. "Should have killed him."

"They're innocent, Jason. They don't understand the jungle like we do." Vaas murmurs the words, his voice low as he turned away from the path leading to the jungle. "Let's go back."

Jason nods in silent acquiescence and just focuses on the steady shifting of Vaas' body as the pirate lord carries him back through the camp. When they stop a lot sooner than anticipated Jason opens his eyes and lifts his head to find his brothers and remaining friends all standing there with worried looks. A retinue of Pirates accompany them, looking lost on how to handle the gaggle of Americans. "Vincent escaped." It takes several seconds for them to register that and there's varying reactions among their faces.

"He really got away?" Riley looks torn between guilt and anger with his question, and Jason can only wonder if his baby brother blames himself.

"He did, and if he manages to survive long enough to cross paths with me I am going to kill him." Even though his tone and expression are as serious as he can make them, Jason doesn't feel like it's as effective as it could be with Vaas holding him bridal style. The point is driven home though by the way the other Americans hang their heads. "Would you put me down, Vaas?"

"Not happening, Jason." Vaas just tightens his grip a little more and starts walking again. This forces the other Americans and Pirates alike to follow after them. "I'm not letting go of you for a while."

Jason instantly understands Vaas' reasoning for not wanting to put him down, that lingering feeling of fear that he could sense from the pirate lord a stark reminder. Vaas is afraid of losing him. That he had evoked fear in him… Jason didn't like how it had felt, doesn't like how it feels now. Still, with Vaas not wanting to let go of him, and with a while probably meaning until tomorrow morning in Vaas' books, it would make certain things awkward. "Can I at least go use the bathroom first?" Like that.

Vaas gives a drawn out sigh and shifts direction abruptly. "Go do whatever!" He snaps out over his shoulder when the other Americans start to follow. "You Americans…" He drops off at the start of what is likely to be a complaint and just mutters the rest to the point of incoherency.

Jason gives a slight roll of his eyes, knowing that Vaas can't see the action, and smiles faintly as they re-enter the compound. "What about us Americans, Vaas?" He can't help the teasing edge to his tone that has Vaas growling softly at him. There's no bite to the growl and Jason lifts his head enough to press a gentle kiss to Vaas' throat.

"You, my cub, are not who I was talking about and you should know that." Vaas surprisingly sets Jason down as they reach the corridor, his touch light and lingering on his hips.

Jason grins at him then pulls away, bemused. A thought comes to mind that has him smirking. "Just so you know, I happen to love marshmallows, especially when they're toasted over a fire. Nice gooey center with a crispy exterior." God, that sounded almost sexual. Fuck, it was sexual. His tone had even shifted slightly with his unwitting innuendo. It was worth the look that shot across Vaas' face though. Totally worth it, he thinks as he bolts away from the pirate lord.

-HMHF-

Vaas breaks into a peal of laughter that has him doubling over, clutching at his sides. "My… Oh my God!" Jason has already disappeared into the bathroom, but he's too torn up with amusement to follow after his cub. That Jason had made a sexual overture with the whole marshmallow thing was just perfect. And his tone. Oh god, his tone. He needed to give the cub a treat.

Laughter subsiding after a few moments, he pads down the corridor and breaks out into an effervescent grin as he reaches the bathroom door. "Hey, cariño!" He calls out as he pushes the door open. Jason's standing there, arm outstretched and a dusting of pink on his cheeks. Those pretty green eyes stare at him, a question in their depths. "I did not know you had that in you, cariño!"

Jason flushes even further and breaks his stare, averting it to the floor. His embarrassment is obvious, and it won't do. No, he'll have to break Jason of that. Strip him of all things modest.

"Let's take a bath." It so wasn't a suggestion, and Jason perks up at that. Cracking a grin, he stalks forward and his cub just stands there. Vaas grabs him by his hips and delights in the fact that Jason responds by moving closer. He doesn't even have to focus to feel Jason's emotions. That such a gem had landed squarely on his lap, and was so ready to shape and mold once he'd been stripped of Citra's taint. "Go run the water, Jason."

Just like that his cub turned and obeyed. Watching his back, the half exposed skin so very inviting and just waiting to be decorated. Yes, he would cover Jason's back with his ink and… His gaze dipped lower, eyeing the half-hidden waistline. That would be the first spot he would mark, and he would tie it in to the Tatau.

"I can feel you staring at me, dammit." Jason's voice is terse and the cub is likely blushing again. Of course he is.

"I like what I'm staring at." He says it to tease him, his gaze dropping a few inches lower to take in Jason's skirt covered ass. That was such a worthwhile punishment, he thinks as spies the creamy white flesh of Jason's thighs exposed by the separate pieces of cloth held together at his cub's waist. "We need to get some coconut oil on that pretty white skin of yours, Jason. Don't want you to burn up."

"Don't you have sunscreen for that?" Jason turns to look at him, sitting on the edge of the tub and looking all awkward as he closes his legs and presses down on the material of the skirt as if it would help keep him covered. It does, for the most part.

"We have to take what we can get, Jason. We don't get primo shit here, and all the shit you're asking me to risk my neck for is top of the line." Kind of like his little collection of top grade herbs and bath oils that he had to get behind Hoyt's back. Speaking of that, he heads over to the cabinet and pulls out the lavender oil, along with some vanilla. He also grabs some soap and shampoo, cause of good hygiene practice and shit.

"So… Coconut oil?" Jason's watching him, he can feel it as clear as when his cub can sense his stare. The tiger is progressing along rather quickly, and if he proves himself with the outpost takedown, like Vaas knows he's capable of…

"Helps with sunburns and also helps prevent them, if applied daily." He brings the supplies over to the jacuzzi and adds a few drops from each oil bottle to the rapidly rising water. "You also have the benefit of smelling good too. Plus, it can double as lube."

The color quickly floods Jason's face and his mouth seems to go slack. God, it's so precious. "Wow… I was totally not expecting that."

"Now you know what to expect, cariño." He grins at Jason then sets the bath oil bottles down so he can start getting undressed. He makes a show of it for his cub, since Jason's eyes are glued to him and there's a growing hunger in them. "Like what you see, Jason?" He purrs at the American, grin widening as Jason's blush darkens. He doesn't look away though.

"Y-yes." Jason's voice has gone up an octave with his admission and he fidgets nervously with his skirt while he finally drops his gaze.

Christ, he is so adorable, even though Vaas feels like he's going soft because of him. "There is no need, cariño, no need for you to be so embarrassed." He moves around the jacuzzi and turns the water off before he grabs his cub's hands. "Up you get." He maneuvers Jason into a standing position then starts to undress him. The gloves are first to come off and his cub takes that as his cue to undress himself. Vaas still helps, of course, and takes special care in removing the bandages.

The clothes form a haphazard pile on the floor that they step over and he lifts his cub up before Jason can step into the tub. "Vaas!" Jason is forced to cling to him, fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Ye-es?" He grins and steps into the hot bathwater. Jason huffs and doesn't respond, instead easing the grasp he has on Vaas' shoulders. "What? You want a warning next time, cub? You should have expected me to pick you back up." Sinking down into the water, back pressed against the smooth ceramic of the tub, he hoods his eyes as his expression twists into something more feral. "The things I'm going to do to you, Jason."

Jason shivers at his statement and shifts in his arms to straddle his lap, their bodies pressing flush together as the American wraps his arms around Vaas' neck. There's frustration simmering in him, an undercurrent to his lust and desire. "You are driving me insane," he hisses out, irritation flashing in those pretty green eyes.

Vaas gives a low throaty chuckle and trails his hands down Jason's sides till they come to rest on his hips. "Greedy little cub, I'm going to give you a taste of what you want." The words come out in a husky murmur and he idly traces his fingers over the small of Jason's back. It draws a more worthwhile shiver from his cub and has him rocking his hips. The slight friction is sweet and tantalizing.

"Vaas~," Jason whines his name out, the s stretching into a hiss as he starts grinding on his own accord. The seafoam green shade of his irises darken rapidly and he leans in with his teeth partially bared. The expression makes Jason look more animal than human and there's a touch of madness to his gaze. A burning thing that feels so very similar to his own madness. That Jason is so thoroughly affected by him, even like this, makes him grin. It's like he's haunting the American, and considering what little Jason had revealed to him it is most likely true. Maybe that is why Jason can convincingly sound and act like him, and it is fucking hot.

"Sí, mi Reina?" He watches as Jason's face screws up at the Spanish, irritation flickering in those darkened green depths as he tries to work out what was said. Poking his tongue out, he swipes it over Jason's lips and catches a faint trace of his unique flavor. Vanilla and oranges. Like one of those frozen American confections they rarely ever get on the islands. The fingers of his right hand come to rest over the base of Jason's spine and he's pleased to note that Jason's grinding has faltered slightly. "That get your attention, mi Reina?"

Jason looks like he's trying to figure out what to respond to first, his jaw working slightly before he simply abandons it all and mashes their lips together. He is all teeth and tongue, a growl resonating in his throat while a hand cups Vaas' neck. It's safe to say he has Jason's undivided attention.

Not one to back down, he gives as good as he gets and somewhere between the two of them blood is drawn. His upper lip has a vague sting to it, so he knows it's his. Jason zeroes in on this and laps at the cut almost tenderly. Once his cub's done with that, his blood fetish apparently unsatisfied, Jason forces him to expose the side of his neck and bites down on the point where it meets the shoulder. He lets out a hiss of pain, and he's certain that the skin's been broken because Jason is suddenly lapping at the spot and making soft, appreciative noises in his throat. "You like the taste of my blood, Jason?"

Jason hums out an affirmative response then starts licking up along his neck in slow, languid strokes. As his tongue nears Vaas' ear he teases the lobe and toys with the earring there. After a moment his cub begins grinding again, breathing provocative little mewls into his ear that shoot straight to his groin. Like he wasn't hard enough already.

"God, you are a minx, Jason. A vicious little minx." He lets his fingers trail down from base of Jason's spine to the cleft of his ass. As his fingers slide lower and come into contact with the ring of muscle that is Jason's sphincter he notes the way that Jason seems to stiffen up, his grinding coming to a halt. If what Jason had said earlier held true then he was going to have to take this slow, which sort of had been the plan anyways. "You're going to need to relax, cariño."

Jason lifts his head to look at him, faint apprehension in his gaze even though he's been craving this. Tiny smears of blood stain his lips which are pressed into a thin line.

Vaas gives a soft chuckle and draws his left hand away from Jason's hip to bring it up and curl his fingers under his chin. "Just relax." He pulls Jason in for a kiss and uses it as a distraction to rub his index finger over the puckered entrance.

-HMHF-

All Jason can think is how weird the sensation of having that part of him being touch (rubbed even) feels. Weird and not bad. Enjoyable even. He relaxes after a moment and returns Vaas's kiss, which is so obviously a distraction. At least the pirate lord is doing his best to make him comfortable for this promised taste of what he wants. How far did a taste go though? Not all the way, but to where?

Vaas grins against his mouth and slowly presses his finger in. Instead of straight up pain like he had expected it continues to just feel weird, and strange. Incredibly strange. That changes when Vaas adds a second finger and a sharp twinge of pain has him hissing as well as pulling away from the kiss. "Don't move too much or it'll feel worse," Vaas instructs in a gentle tone and with a caress to his jaw.

He gives a faint nod and inhales slowly. The sharp pain fades after a moment and leaves behind vague discomfort. He must have relaxed enough because Vaas presses his fingers further in and slowly scissors them. There's more twinges of pain, but they fade quick enough and don't compare to the initial intrusion. The strangeness of it hardly dissipates, but it starts to feel kind of good. Deciding it's okay to move again, he gives a roll of his hips.

"There you go," Vaas coos at him and presses his index and middle fingers all the way in. He carefully rotates them together and it's like he's searching for- A jolt of white hot pleasure has him gasping, and Vaas gives him a smile that seems rather devious. "There it is," he murmurs in a darkly seductive tone, his eyes flashing. "I'm gonna make you feel real good, Jason." He probes that spot again, as if to make certain he has the right location.

"Oh God!" Jason can't, for the life of him, remember what that particular spot is called right now, but oh does it feel good beyond what he can describe. Had he not already been hard, he was certain it would have done a damn impressive job of getting him erect in record time. As it is he wants to feel that blissful pleasure again so he gives a more vigorous roll of his hips and he is not disappointed.

"You like that, huh Jason? This get you all hot for me, my little cub?" Vaas moves his fingers in and out with Jason's movements, as a pseudo simulation of full intercourse, and barely brushes over that pleasure giving spot with each inward press of his fingers.

Jason whimpers at the brief and fleeting jolts of pleasure that are nowhere near as satisfying as the first two. Vaas' left hand has pulled away from his jaw and goes back to gripping his hip, which is effectively controlling the pace he's grinding at. "Vaas! Please…" Christ, he sounds like he's begging, and in a way he is. He wants more of that feeling, wants more than just Vaas' fingers in him.

"Answer my questions, cub." The command is firm, Vaas' dark eyes burning with such an intensity that has Jason swallowing down any sort of angry retort. The pirate lord can still be rather cruel, that particular trait merely being redirected now since they weren't out to kill each other.

Every shred of dignity and pride he ever had was being effectively stripped away by Vaas. That much is certain. "Yes, I like this, you evil bastard." He forces the words out as he returns Vaas' gaze, a faint warmth in his cheeks. "And yes this gets me hot for you, goddamnit!"

"I'm glad you answered my questions but there's no need for name calling, Jason." Vaas pulls his fingers almost entirely out, which actually makes Jason whimper. "I know how much of a bastard I can be, Jason, but I am not evil. I'm just misunderstood." As if to prove what he's saying he pushes his fingers back in and hits that spot with near full force. "Cause if I were evil I would stop right, but I'd be breaking my word. I said I'd take really good fucking care of you, so I'm gonna see to it that you're taken care of."

Jason sees white for a few brief seconds and he can hardly concentrate to make sense of what Vaas is saying. The pirate lord keeps probing that spot now in a manner that seems more like a punishment than a reward. Still, it feels so damn good and at this rate… "Vaas!" His whole body seems to tense up for an inexplicable second and then there's a bliss he had never experienced with an orgasm before.

Vaas gives a slight hiss, his eyes flashing with something that Jason can't decipher right now, and digs the fingers of his left hand into Jason's hip. "Fuck…" He waits until Jason's muscles have relaxed to pull his fingers free and eases the grip he has on the American's hip. "You have quite a grip, cariño."

Somehow that didn't sound like a compliment one would ever make. This was coming from Vaas though. Slumping against said pirate lord he became immediately aware that Vaas was still hard. Well that wouldn't do. Sliding off of Vaas' lap to his right (which put him on Vaas' left) and pressing against his side, Jason wraps a hand around the pirate lord's neglected cock. The contact is unexpected because Vaas inhales sharply and his whole body seems to go rigid. "Shouldn't that go both ways?"

"What are- Oh! I take care of you and you take care of me? Make it all mutual and shit." Well at least he figures things out rather quickly. "Yeah, we take care of each other." Vaas purrs now and relaxes, his eyes hooding as he watches Jason with a faint grin. He wraps his arms around Jason from behind with his hand ending up on Jason's hip.

Jason doesn't bother with a verbal response. He increases the pressure of his grip and strokes, his gaze remaining on Vaas' face to take in his reactions. He twists his hand slightly as it reaches the head and on the downward stroke he presses his fingers firmly to the underside. This gets a reaction from Vaas in the form of a groan and a jerk of his hips. He repeats the same motions a few times then speeds up, a smile flitting across his lips while Vaas seems to become unhinged.

Vaas breaks eye contact and lets his head fall back with a moan. His arm tightens around Jason while his fingers dig into Jason's hip, his moan becoming low and guttural. Apparently it takes some effort for Vaas to lift his head back up, but when he does his hand goes from Jason's hip to the back of his head. The pirate lord grips his hair tight and pulls him in for a kiss that is more intense than any they've shared thus far.

Jason groans into the kiss as Vaas nips his lips hard, almost to the point of breaking skin. Slowing down a little, he switches up his method by twisting his hand slightly on the downward stroke and just slightly increased the pressure as he slides his hand back up. This seems to be exactly was Vaas needs because his grip on Jason's hair has gone painfully tight and he moans into the kiss while the movements of his hips slow. Jason strokes Vaas' cock several more times, gradually lessening his speed until the pirate lord is fully spent.

Vaas mumbles something incoherently against Jason's mouth then gives him several soft kisses while he eases the grip he has on the American's hair. The phrase, or whatever it is, is repeated again and Jason is quite suddenly pulled onto Vaas' lap for a second time. The pirate lord gives an affectionate croon and nuzzles him, at which the abrupt change in his behavior becomes apparent to Jason. Vaas likes to cuddle. The bad ass pirate lord is a post-coital cuddler.

Jason can't help the grin that forms. Nor can he help the faint chuckle he gives, which has Vaas giving him a confused look. Christ, he's about to ruin the mood if he mentions that Vaas was merely hiding his marshmallowy side to begin with. "It's nothing, Vaas. Nothing important." He doesn't want to ruin this precious moment though, so he's going to keep it to himself. "We should wash up."

It is obvious by the semi-cross look that Vaas gives him that the pirate lord does not want to move. He even has something of a pout forming on his lips.

"I didn't say let go of me, Vaas." There was also that. Vaas had been insistent upon not letting him go, so maybe that had something to do with it too. "Just that we should wash up." He looks around for the soap and spots it with the shampoo, sitting on the edge of the tub and some few feet away. Stretching to reach it, and having a slightly difficult time of it because Vaas tightens his arms around his waist, he gives a faint huff even though his fingers close over the end of the soap. He has the thought to make a comment about Vaas being difficult, but that wouldn't go over well at all. Instead he re-straddles Vaas' lap with a grin and swipes the bar of soap over the pirate lord's chest once it's wet.

-HMHF-

"I really needed that," Jason comments as he curls up against Vaas on the pirate lord's bed, the blankets coming up to their waists. They're both dry, apart from their slightly damp hair, and still quite naked. He doesn't mind that detail so much anymore. Not after a bath like that.

"Yes you certainly did, cariño," Vaas purrs out, his affectionate cuddling mood back, and shifts onto his side. He is obviously talking about the rather shameless finger fucking. Incorrigible bastard.

"I'm not going to debate with you because I know it's a losing argument and I'm enjoying this." Jason lifts his head so he can look up at Vaas, who is watching him with an honest to god smile. "Part of me feels like I shouldn't, that this is just a dream, but even lucid dreams have their limits. There's no trippy shit going on, so I know I'm not drugged. This is real, and everything that I went through… It feels more and more like a bad dream."

"Then let it be just that, a bad dream and nothing more." It sounds so easy, just hearing Vaas say that, but things are hardly ever that simple. Still, the idea has merit.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try." Hopefully it'll be easier with the stark differences in events. Without any warning he suddenly yawns, whether it was due to the turn in conversation or because everything from today has finally caught up with him. Maybe even the damn bath.

"The oils I put in the bath water finally kicking in?" Vaas gives him a slightly amused smile and pulls Jason onto himself as he rolls onto his back. Both arms wrap around the American once the blankets are pulled further up over their bodies, and Jason swears that Vaas is purring like a damn cat. "Lavender and vanilla are supposed to help with sleeping."

Uh huh. "And we need help with sleeping why?" It wasn't even night yet, so why on earth would Vaas do something like this?

"It's been a long day, Jason. I for one could use some rest." Translation, because Vaas said so.

Jason sighs and closes his eyes, not really having the energy to engage in another losing argument with Vaas. "Fine. Probably would have been tired anyways." It had been a long day, to be honest.

Unaware of when sleep even claimed him, Jason jolted back to wakefulness with the feeling that he had just shut his eyes. He barely feels rested and he is alone in bed. He blinks several times then sits up to blearily look around. Vaas isn't in the room, yet he's certain he fell asleep on top of him.

After several minutes pass, and though he still feels dead tired, he gets up and drags a blanket off of the bed. Jason wraps himself up and trudges out of the room in search of the pirate lord. The corridor feels longer than normal, and seems almost warped, each of the ends twisting to a diagonal. He chalks it up to his tiredness and starts down towards the bathroom. It proves to be empty, save for his clothes hanging up where they'd been left so they could dry.

He starts down the corridor again, with the intention to head to the main part of the compound known as the warehouse. After several minutes, which is more than enough time to have reached it, Jason frowns and turns to find himself at the bathroom door again. It's almost completely shut, when it was wide open not even moments ago.

A sense of dread curls in his gut and he pushes the door open. The sight of the bathroom, blood splattered absolutely everywhere, pushes his heart into his throat and sends him into a panic. There's a splash from the jacuzzi but he's already tearing away from the bathroom door and running down the unending corridor once more.

He comes upon the bathroom again and again, and by the sixth time he reaches it there is blood seeping out into the corridor. There's also a figure in the bathroom doorway, covered from head to toe in blood.

"Jason, you cannot escape." Citra's voice comes from the thing and it shambles out into the hallway, arms reaching for him.

Jason shrieks and bolts in the opposite direction, heading back for the only safe haven he currently knew of. Vaas' bedroom. The door is thankfully open and he slips into the room. Shutting the door and leaning his weight against it, he closes his eyes and bows his head, his forehead touching the cool metal of the door.

A hand grabs him by the shoulder and he almost jumps out of his skin while his eyes open wide, a terrified scream leaving him as he's forced to turn around. Another hand clamps over his mouth, stifling the scream, and it's Vaas.

Jason is so glad to see him, but there's something off. His eyes are too dark, and there's a spark of hatred in his gaze. Tugging at the hand over his mouth, fear stirs through him when it doesn't budge.

"You think my brother is capable of caring for anyone, Jason? He cares only for himself." The figure of Vaas croons in Citra's voice, a malicious smile twisting over his face.

She's wrong. Jason know's she is. He tugs at the hand more insistently, managing to get it to slip enough so that he can bite into the side of the hand. It doesn't taste anything like Vaas, it doesn't taste like anything at all. The thing, whatever it is, masquerading as Vaas pulls away from him with a hiss then vanishes.

He gives a sigh of relief then leans heavily against the door while the realization that this isn't real finally hits him. He glances around the room, and while it mostly looks the same, there's a sort of blurriness at the edges of everything.

Wake up, Jason.

He blinks at what sounds like a whisper, eyes wide as he scans the bedroom.

Wake up, Jason!

This time it's louder, and it actually sounds like Vaas. There's a note of desperation in Vaas' voice.

"WAKE UP, JASON!"

Jason bolts upright in bed and unfortunately smashes his forehead into Vaas', who had been leaning over him. "Fuck!" He clutches at his forehead while Vaas likewise curses and drops to the bed beside him holding on to his own forehead. "Ow…" God, it hurt, but at least he knew he was awake.

"What the fuck is your head made of?" Vaas groans out beside him.

"Same exact stuff yours is made of, Vaas." Jason scrunches his face up from the pain then fully sits upright. "I'll gladly take this pain over the fucking nightmare I just had though."

The mention of the nightmare draws an abrupt reaction from Vaas. He's suddenly kneeling on the bed and wraps his arms tight around Jason. "Are you okay?" Even though his voice sounds strong Jason can clearly feel fear emanating from Vaas.

"What happened?" There's an immediate hesitation from Vaas and it has Jason squirming in the slightly older man's grasp. He manages to turn himself around despite the effort to keep him from doing so and he gives Vaas a glare. "What happened, damnit?! Because that wasn't a normal fucking nightmare you woke me up from!" Christ, it had been Vaas' voice he had heard.

"You stopped breathing for several minutes!"

Oh.

Jason blinks then looks closer at Vaas' face to notice that there's tear tracks on the pirate lord's cheeks and his eyes contain traces of more unshed tears. Out of everything he had witnessed of Vaas from before and in the past day or so, crying hadn't been in there. If the fear from Vaas feels wrong, seeing him so vulnerable is just…

His thoughts are muddled as he's pulled into a rather wet and definitely desperate kiss. Jason kisses back, because it's one of the few things he can do right now to comfort Vaas, and wraps his arms around the pirate lord's neck. After a few seconds he breaks off the kiss to nuzzle Vaas, his eyes closing halfway. "Vaas, my dragon, it's okay now. I'm okay."

Citra is definitely wrong. She doesn't know a damn thing about Vaas except what she thinks she knows and what she wants to be true.

"Citra-"

Jason cuts whatever Vaas is going to say off with a chaste kiss and another nuzzle. "She is a self-serving bitch who doesn't know who we truly are. We won't let her win, will we?"

Vaas gives a faint nod, his apprehension apparent, then tucks his head under Jason's chin. He breathes in and out several times at a controlled rate, his grip on Jason tightening momentarily before it relaxes. "We need to guard you against another attack like that, Jason." The words are softly spoken, his voice sounding almost hollow.

Jason closes his eyes and lets his arms drop around Vaas so he can rub at the man's back. The hair of Vaas' mohawk is surprisingly soft, and likely still unstyled due to their bath, whenever that had been. There's no clock here in the room, which he's going to have to rectify at one point. "Do whatever you have to do, Vaas. I don't want…to go through that again." And he didn't want Vaas to have to experience that again either.


	8. A Minor Hiccup

"I feel like I haven't gotten any sleep at all," Jason whines as he gets dressed. They really need to get more clothes made for him, especially if they're going to be romping around the North Island for some time. Maybe in a dark red. Blue would be a good choice too if it weren't for the fact that his sister's Rakyat seemed to all wear that color. He'd been one of them too, once upon a time, but that was long ago. "Do we have to **go** to Hoyt and give him the damn reports?"

"You don't have to come with, Jason." After the scare with the whole nightmare thing and Jason having stopped breathing for a few minutes, Vaas really didn't want to let Jason out of his sight. As worried as he had been he grins slightly as Jason attempts to put the stockings on while standing up, resulting in him swaying dangerously where he stands. "Sit down and do that." As amusing as it is to watch he doesn't want the American to go and hurt himself.

"There's someone there I **have** to get into contact with. His help will be vital if we want to take over the South Island as quietly as possible." He could sense a whole lot more to Jason's reasoning than just that, but he isn't going to press the issue right now. "With luck he'll be at Hoyt's compound."

"Should I be jealous of this guy or something?" It is a perfectly legitimate question, considering he's emotionally investing himself in Jason. His fears are eased by the rather cross look that flashes over Jason's face.

"Did you not hear me say you're the only man I'm attracted to yesterday?" Yes. Yes, he most certainly had. He doesn't answer though, wondering just where Jason will take this or what he'll do. "Vaas?" Jason has abandoned his attempt to put the stockings on in order to approach him. The American makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat at his continued silence and scowls at him. "I'm- Fuck. Vaas, I know you've been through a lot of fucked up shit, and a lot of it can be blamed on Citra, but I promise I will do my best to not blindside you or give you cause to distrust me."

Jason's within arms reach, his face screwed up with seriousness. There's a certain haunted look in his eyes and he seems to be recalling something from his prior experiences. Vaas wants to know everything his cub has gone through, in detail, to make him have that look. He only knows a few sparing facts, like how many times Jason has escaped death, that he's killed Hoyt and Buck before… That he might have killed his other self as well. "You have my trust, Jason, don't doubt that."

"I'm not questioning your trust in me, not by a long shot. I just… I don't want to fuck this up because, the whole tiger and dragon thing aside, I do like you. It's not reasonable or rational for me to like you, not this soon at least, but then there's nothing reasonable or rational about these islands." Jason gives him a faint smile, his mood definitely lightened.

"You're not going to fuck this up, Jason." The American's concern was sweet, though maybe not unwarranted. He didn't see Jason being the one to fuck things up for them. That was something more liable to happen on his end of things, but he was determined to not fuck this up too. "Now go and put those-" He waves at the abandoned stockings. "-on so we can go report to Hoyt. And sit down while you do it. Don't want you busting your fucking head open."

Jason glances at his discarded stockings then back at him with a scowl on his face. "Can I wear socks?"

Vaas stares at Jason for all of ten seconds then glances past him to the stockings. "No." He isn't going to waver on this when they're barely a day into this particular punishment of Jason's. Maybe down the road. "Now hurry up."

Jason gives a soft groan of protest as he turns and trudges back over to the stockings. The American seems to mutter something under his breath, and usually Vaas would be confrontational with that kind of thing but he lets it slide. They both have been through quite the emotional wringer and Jason deserves a little slack. "You know something?"

He tilts his head at the rather unanswerable question and watches Jason as he puts the stockings on with very little trouble this time around. Hm.

"I was actually looking forward to seeing Vincent in a dress."

Well that was certainly…random. "If we manage to capture him alive then I guess you can still make that happen, mi Reina." The likelihood of capturing the American fuck-up alive was slim to not at all, but he wasn't going to rain on Jason's parade.

"What does mi Reina mean?" Jason is doing that adorable face scrunching thing again, and his pronunciation is decent. Spanish lessons would definitely be beneficial, even if Jason rather take them from Carlos. That wasn't to say that he couldn't teach the American a thing or two.

"Mi means my and Reina means Queen." The explanation rewards him with a look of comprehension followed by a faint huff. Then there's the pout. Why is he pouting?

"You're not going to drop the whole monarchy thing are you?" That sounded highly rhetorical. For the record, no he wasn't.

"Not a chance, mi Reina." A delicate shade of pink blossoms on Jason's cheeks with the new endearment, though it could have been due to his tone and the way he purred it out. "Now let's get going or Hoyt'll be pissy."

Jason pulls on a regular pair of boots and follows after him with the pout and blush still present. "I rather not find out what he's like when he's pissy. He's bad enough on a regular day."

"That I am aware of." While Jason had only had a very brief interaction with Hoyt Volker, he had spent years under the man's employ. He is certainly more familiar with the man's fickle whims than anyone who isn't a Privateer. Cutting a finger off, for whatever the reason, is tame compared to some of the shit he has seen Hoyt do.

 _Her Mistake, His Fortune_

He's kneeling on the floor at Vaas' feet, maintaining the perfect form of submission while Hoyt stares at him with a pale and disdainful gaze. Though it is tempting to defiantly return the kingpin's stare he knows better than to draw any further suspicion onto them. He knows Hoyt is incredibly suspicious and cautious, to the point that he had already known about Jason to a degree the first go round. This time he intends to get the jump on Hoyt, and for that he needs to play the part he put himself in. Vaas' pet.

"How did you come to own this charming little pet of yours, Vaas?" Hoyt asks with a slight sneer as he walks around his desks and drops into his chair. "Because I certainly don't remember seeing anything about this in the reports."

"I found him washed up on the shore a couple months back. He was unconscious at the time, didn't have an ID on him and business was starting to pick up so I left him in the care of one of my more trusted men. By the time I got back around to him he'd woken up and had severe amnesia." Vaas slowly runs his fingers through Jason's hair as he speaks in a calm and unaffected tone.

He closes his eyes and leans towards Vaas, making it seem like he's in need of soothing and attention. It also feels rather nice and he can tell that it's keeping the pirate lord calm, so their act is that much less of an act.

Hoyt's renewed stare is weighty but it doesn't stay on him for too long. "And he is fully compliant?"

"Yes." Vaas' fingers pause in his hair then slide down to the back of his head. "He responded very well to his training and it's made him completely loyal to me." Those fingers grip his hair and a sharp tug has him keening out a mewl as his head is jerked back.

He opens his eyes and stares up at Vaas, his gaze met with a composed indifference. Underneath the façade there is worry, for him, and a hope that they can make it through this unscathed.

"Yes, that would make sense, though he seems quite willful for a mere pet, Vaas." Hoyt rummages through the draws of his desk for a few seconds then the distinctive click of a zippo lighter opening sounds.

"Permission to speak," he interjects in a demure tone, at which Vaas' fingers tighten in his hair once more.

There seems to be a pause and then Vaas' grip relaxes. "You may speak," the pirate lord says in a low rumble.

"I belong to him completely so I am whatever my Master needs me to be. Pet. Slave. Weapon. Shield. I must be able to defend myself if I am to defend him, otherwise I am of no use to him." The words come out in a purr and he hoods his gaze while a smile forms on his lips. The fingers resting in his hair tense slightly then resume their earlier petting motion.

"Fascinating," Hoyt muses and shuffles through some of the papers on his desk. "Is there anything else you have to report to me?"

"Yeah, actually. There was supposed to be a large group of American skydivers the other day, eight of them. My men only found one chute when they went to check the landing site and a blood bath out in the water." There's well-placed anger in Vaas' voice as he speaks, his gaze back on Hoyt. "I haven't checked with the guys on the mainland yet, 'cause I know they aren't stupid enough to fuck with the business, so I have my men hunting down the survivor."

While Hoyt seems to take the news in the doors to the office swing open behind them. A pair of heavy footsteps enter and approach, pausing next to him and Vaas.

"Ja, Boss," came the German-accented voice of Sam Becker, the very person they needed to get into contact with.

"Becker…" Hoyt starts with a drawl. "I'm assigning you to watching over the operations on Rook North for the next couple of months."

"Boss?" There's genuine panic in Vaas' voice, a frown twisting over his face before he flinches.

"I should make you pay for your pet, or better yet make you hand him over, especially with that much product gone…but you haven't given me any problems in the years you've worked for me. I'll be generous just this once, Vaas, and let you keep him on the condition that Becker oversees the operation for the next couple of months." Hoyt's tone takes on a dangerous edge, inflected with anger. The scent of burning tobacco from the kingpin's favorite brand of cigars, Cohiba, perfumes the air.

"Okay, Boss…" Vaas responds in a subdued manner, his hand withdrawing from Jason's hair.

"As I was saying, Becker, I want you to oversee the operations and you are to send me daily reports. Leave nothing out." The chair behind the desk creaks as Hoyt likely gets up and the lightness of his footsteps come around the ornate wooden structure. "And keep an eye on this…pet of Vaas'." Hoyt peers down at him with that same expression of disdain from earlier. "Now leave."

"Ja, Boss." Becker glances down at him with a faint frown, the CIA operative's brows furrowing as he scrutinizes Jason.

"Up, Snow. Let's go," Vaas orders, voice low while his fingers lightly trace over his hair.

He complies with the order, his legs partially numb due to the posture he had to use, but thankfully doesn't wobble or stagger. He turns at the light touch to his waist then takes careful measured steps as he walks out of the office, his legs tingling. It seems like he doesn't regain complete feeling in them until they're outside and on the way over to the Scavenger.

"You are going to be the death of me, Jason," Vaas whispers as he grabs him by the wrists and stops him from climbing into the vehicle. "Hoyt's breathing down our necks, we're being babysat like fucking children and I still have no idea who it is you're trying to meet over here."

"I don't know if this will make things better or worse," he says in a low tone as he turns to face Vaas. "Our babysitter is the person I need to meet and Hoyt's already suspicious about him." Or was it that Hoyt already knew about him?

Vaas stares at him for a long moment, the silence stretching on between them until Becker clears his throat from the other side of the vehicle. The pirate lord gives a shake of his head at the interruption then motions for him to get into the Scavenger.

He climbs into the back with Becker while Vaas reluctantly takes the driver's seat. Sitting across from the German-raised American he wonders how the undercover operative will react to what he has to say. Maybe he shouldn't reveal much of anything. "So, Becker, I suppose introductions are in order."

 _Her Mistake, His Fortune_

"I don't see how you expect me to believe that you're going to take down Hoyt," Sam comments as he looks Jason over for a moment then in his direction. "Especially when you say that this…one is in on it. How do I know that this isn't some ploy of Hoyt's when you're telling me he's already suspicious about me."

"Hoyt doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know where I'm from and he sure as hell doesn't know that I'm more than just a simple, well-trained pet to Vaas." Jason leans against him even though the American knows he is wary about anyone so closely associated to Hoyt finding out just how much he cares for him. He still wraps an arm around Jason's waist despite his worries while he shifts against the side of the Scavenger they had commandeered from one of their patrols once they had reached Rook North. "Unless he receives some sort of dossier on all of his incoming…products."

"Only once they're processed. It's supposed to be sent in with the reports when he doesn't come over himself to check on his new stock." That's how it's always been for as long as he's worked for Hoyt. It would have to continue, of course, to keep the kingpin from growing even more suspicious of them.

"And now I'm in charge of reporting to him. How does this fit into your plans?" Becker sounds understandably annoyed at the position he's been put in, but it can't possibly compare to his own annoyance, his worries and his fears.

"Well, it actually helps in that I didn't have to wait God knows how long before trying to find you on Rook South. We can plan our takeover of the Southern Island now and lay the groundwork for it when you get reassigned back over there." Jason has a hell of a lot of confidence in his voice and he seems to be radiating a surprising calmness.

The conversation ceases as the rumbling of multiple car engines approach them from the direction of Amanaki village. Jason tenses slightly against him and stares down the road warily. The American had chosen this particular outpost, almost seemingly at random, only it doesn't seem so random when the approaching vehicles prove to be carrying Rakyat. Rakyat and a very familiar face.

"Well fuck," Jason exclaims and reaches for the MP5-N in the back of the Scavenger as the two Rakyat Scavengers stop a fair distance away from them. "I was hoping for a little more time before we started butting heads with them."

"You knew they'd be attacking this outpost?" He draws out his own gun, a modified Colt M1911, and aims at the closest Scavenger full of Rakyat. There's another familiar face, one he definitely wants to put a bullet in, amongst the passengers. Dennis Rogers.

"Yeah, but I didn't think it'd be this soon. I don't know how long I was out for the last go round." Jason moves around him, into the line of fire, then opens the door to the Scavenger to use it as cover. "Becker, go get the men stationed at this outpost and hope that they don't shoot you first."

"Yeah, sure." Becker shoulders his P416 and heads up the road to the outpost while the Rakyat slowly climb out of their vehicles.

"Hold your fire," Dennis orders, motioning for the Rakyat Warriors with him to stand down. "Vincent, is that one of your friends?" Dennis gives the traitorous American a cursory glance then fixes his gaze on Jason.

"He's no friend of mine," Vincent answers tightly as he boldly walks around the group of Rakyat to stand at Dennis' side. "Cross-dressing pirate whore."

"You might not get to see him in a dress, cariño," he whispers harshly from where he's crouched along the side of the Scavenger. He doesn't have too clear of a shot at any of them and he can't risk breaking cover when they're severely outnumbered.

"Hey, he's only partially right. I am a cross-dressing pirate." Jason cracks a faint grin and shifts where he's crouched. "Queen, Vincent. I'm the Queen of the Pirates," the American corrects. "We established that yesterday at lunch. By the way, your insults aren't even grade school worthy, Vincent."

Vincent looks like he's ready to say something else, likely another failed insult, but Dennis cuts him off with a sharp look. Once the Liberian's certain Vincent won't interrupt he looks to Jason again. "You must be the Jason Brody that Citra has spoken of, the Warrior who has strayed from the path she has set you on. She thinks that you can be persuaded to return to the path, but I see what it is that she cannot."

"You can't see shit," he calls out with a growl and moves closer to Jason, a sense of unease curling in his gut. "Get behind me," he instructs in a low tone.

"No," Jason hisses out defiantly.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn, Jason." He's met with a glare that he returns, but there's very little he can do. He could drag Jason away from the pseudo cover, but that would put both of them at a larger risk.

"You have turned your back on the Rakyat and Citra, Jason. That you would openly and willingly ally yourself with Vaas; you've spat in our faces. There is no returning to the Rakyat for you." Dennis' tone has taken on a quality that he does not like, never mind the fact that the Liberian is pointedly ignoring his presence in favor of Jason's.

"Good," Jason says in a rather jovial tone, making it obvious that he doesn't care about Dennis' not-so-subtle death threat. "Cause I'm quite happy with Vaas."

That seems to end their discussion and with it the Rakyat open fire on them. Jason thankfully scuttles back from his pseudo cover and hunkers down next to him, a manic grin stretched over his face.

"BLITZKRIEG!" The sudden shout sounds over the intermittent fire and a cacophony of shouts and more gunfire comes from behind them. Reinforcements have arrived.


	9. Monsoon

He knows that he should stay behind the cover their vehicle provides them, but the Rakyat apparently can't shoot for shit. Emboldened by this knowledge, and the fact that they have Becker's aid, along with that of the pirates he had retrieved from the outpost, he slinks out from cover and barely misses getting a bullet to his head. Vaas had yanked him back down in the nick of time, a fierce scowl set into the man's face.

"You trying to get yourself killed?!" He hisses out amazingly loud enough for him to hear over the gun fire. His pupils are dilated with his anger, not drugs, and he hauls him back up against the vehicle by the backside of his cropped top. "Don't you ever do something dumb like that again, Jason," Vaas growls into his ear.

The slight pressure of Vaas' presence against his side vanishes as the pirate lord stands up to return fire through the crack of the door and the body of the vehicle. His aim is true as two Rakyat crumple to the ground in quick succession, the amount of gunfire lessening drastically.

He huffs his indignation and peers around the outer edge of the door, making a quick mental note about the placement of their opposition. Dennis and Vincent aren't immediately visible, but the pallor of his once thought to be friend is apparent in the ranks of the Rakyat. He catches sight of them retreating, the cowards that they are, leaving behind the few Rakyat that accompanied to them.

Vaas picks off another of the Rakyat while Becker takes out two, leaving one more that is still firing in their direction. He has a clear shot and takes aim from his cover, as to not give Vaas any further reasons to chew him out, only for the man's head to practically explode. He's left staring at where the man had stood for a few seconds before his gaze flicks down to take in the sight of pooling blood and a gory mess where the poor schmuck's head once was. He knows the kill wound quite well, and the gaping hole is definitely from a Z93.

Who in the ever loving fuck has access to a sniper rifle of that caliber here? He hadn't gotten that until late into his exploration of the Rook Islands.

Silence descends upon their stretch of road with the Rakyat warriors dead, prolonging for several beats until a rather excited whoop shatters it from further down the road. Pirate red becomes visible as Grant leads a group of them out onto the road and heads towards them. The Z93 is in his brother's possession, because of course Grant would be the one to make that shot. The Pirates hadn't gained the ability to make shots like that overnight, but they're certainly celebrating like they had made the kill themselves.

He holsters his gun and stands up to lean against the Scavenger door, his expression twisting into a frown. This isn't something to celebrate, especially considering how easily the outpost had been taken over when he had been on the other side. His senses prickle slightly as a warm pressure settles against his back and arms wrap around him. "If we hadn't been here then those men would be dead instead of celebrating a victory that isn't theirs."

"So what do you want to do, Snow White?" Vaas' voice is a soothing rumble, and Jason contemplates the question even though they both know the answer to it. "You gonna give me that demonstration you were talking about yesterday?"

"Yeah," he responds, even though it's redundant. He takes a moment to just observe the Pirates, both sets now mingling as they pick the Rakyat corpses clean of their weapons and ammo.

 _Her Mistake, His Fortune_

It was decided that the men assigned to patrol the outpost would give up their weapons and ammo for this training exercise. All of them had chafed against this, but he shut them up with a single look. Then he announced that he would be shadowing Jason for the duration of the exercise, which is how he ended up crouched in the brush next to the Californian as he observed the men making their rounds.

"So tell me how this went for you the first time." He wants to know more of Jason's experiences on Rook from the first go round, beyond the fragments of what he'd been told.

"Well, the first time I did this I was way out of my depth. I barely knew what I was doing then, but I knew enough that stealth was the only way I would make it through alive, so I took this path." Jason indicated to the brush they were sitting in going up the right side of the dirt roadway heading into the outpost. "Dennis and a few of the Rakyat went up to the outpost over there, and to be completely honest they weren't of much help." The brush across the road from them is motioned to before Jason moves on, creeping up alongside the perimeter of the outpost where they reached the sheets of metal that made up the fencing.

He can already see how the rest of it played out when they come upon a hole in the fence where they wait and watch a guard come up. He's disappointed when the guard ignores the glaring hole in the fence and turns his back on it as he crouches down to observe something on the ground. In that moment Jason makes his move and sneaks up behind the guard.

"You're dead," the American says in a low voice as he taps the guard on the shoulder. "Knife to the throat, no sound." With those words the guard slumps forward like a rag doll and pretends to be dead as ordered before the start of the exercise. Jason moves on, creeping behind the safe-house where they encounter the dog sniffing around a gap in the fence.

A rock flies through the gap and lands out in the brush, and it takes him a moment to realize that Jason had thrown the rock while the dog runs off to investigate the noise it made. Here the American moves quickly, keeping to the back alley where it lets out into the brush and moving down the left side of the outpost where another single guard is on patrol.

Another knife takedown and the guard plays dead, and then to Vaas' amazement Jason uses another rock to lure one of the men forming the only pair of guards over to the _dead_ Pirate. Jason moves quickly, executing the curious guard when he kneels down to examine the _body_ of his comrade. In one smooth motion the American stands, giving away his location to the final guard, and announces, "Headshot, the outpost is now cleared and belongs to the Rakyat."

"Alright you fucks, get up and come here!" There's some minor grumbling from his men, but they get up and come over, save for the one that Jason took out with a _headshot_.

"That's some bullshit! That fucking marica blanca didn't even get me!"

He feels Jason's confusion at the insult, but he's not going to let his tiger's lack of understanding stop him from putting a bullet through that fucker's head. The three smart ones clear the way for him as he gives the façade of complete calm while he walks over to the dead man walking. "Cabrón, who the fuck do you think you're talking about?"

"Vaas?" Jason follows after him, concern etched into his voice.

"Not now, mi Reina. I have something to take care of," Vaas half growls and realization flickers over the pirate's face. It's much too late though, because he is not going to tolerate this shit from any of his men in the slightest.

"Wait, Bo-"

He doesn't give him a chance, drawing his gun and ending his life for real in the blink of an eye. He turns and faces the other three pirates, looking past Jason to do so. The American is wide-eyed and confused. "You fucks have anything negative to say about my Queen here and I will fucking end you like I ended that stupid chickenshit over there! Spread the goddamn word that Snow White is the motherfucking Queen of the Pirates!"

"What did he say?" Jason asks quietly as he reaches up to cup his face. The American traces his thumb along his cheek, the gesture sweet and comforting.

He doesn't want to reveal what was said, but he also can't hide anything from his tiger. Losing any sort of trust the American has for him would hurt too much. "He called you a white faggot, and I am not going to tolerate having any of my men degrading you, preciosa."

Understanding flits through Jason's gaze and he gives a gentle smile as he drops his hand and loops his arm around his neck instead. "Look at you, defending my honor and all that sappy ass bullshit. Makes me feel all special and shit."

"You are special, Cariño," he huffs out and pulls the american closer to wrap his arms around his waist. "You're turning me into a fucking marshmallow."

Jason's cheeks take on a pink tinge at that particular reminder and the American scowls at him. "You are not going to let that go, are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, mi Reina," he teases, and Jason flushes a darker shade of pink. He presses a chaste kiss to the American's lips, and despite however slightly embarrassed Jason is he kisses back.

"J?!" Grant's panicked voice shatters their moment of serenity and the older Brody sibling is picking his way through the outpost. His expression turns into one of relief when he spots them and he slows down as he approaches them.

"Yeah, Grant?" Jason pulls back just enough to turn towards his brother to see what he wants. The American remains in his arms though, and settles for leaning into him.

Grant looks them over and he knows the elder brother sees the gun still in his hand. "I heard a shot go off…"

"One of my men insulted Jason here," he explains before Jason can say anything. He squeezes the American's waist then lets go of him to stand next to him. "I did not appreciate him degrading my Queen so I took care of him." He casually holsters the gun and folds his arms over his chest as he stares Grant down.

Grant pales slightly at the explanation and looks quite uncomfortable with what he probably considers to be a needless kill. "You didn't need him to cause a drop in morale and dissension amongst your men, I presume."

"If it helps, then yes. Anyone who undermines your brother is also undermining me, and we can't have that when we are in such a delicate position." His answer seems to relieve Grant, but he doesn't really care about _that_ American's mental stability or his feelings.

"We should head back to the base camp, Vaas," Jason says softly, and he can feel a sliver of weariness from his tiger.

"As you wish, mi Reina."

 _Her Mistake, His Fortune_

Their journey back to Vaas' island is slow, and it's mid-afternoon by the time they arrive due to the fact that they had to stop for food. That was a couple of hours ago and he's starting to feel better, his bone-deep weariness incurred from this morning thankfully gone.

"You doing okay, cariño? You've been really quiet since we left Amanaki." Vaas' voice is doing that soothing rumbling again and he shifts enough to glance up at his face from where he's slumped against the man's side where they're seated at the table to discuss the outpost and radio towers.

"Yeah. I was just tired is all," he says softly in response and gives Vaas a faint smile. "Stressful morning and all." His lips curve a little more and he rubs his cheek against the pirate lord's arm. "I'm feeling better now."

"Then I'm happy to hear that. You want to go do something else?" There's something meaningful to Vaas' tone that piques his interest and makes him straighten up.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?" The smile that Vaas gives him makes him blink and he innately knows that the pirate lord isn't going to reveal his intentions so easily. It must be something special. Really special.

"Come with me." Vaas stands and offers his hand for him to take, which he does.

He wobbles slightly thanks to the damn heeled boots he had to put back on once they had arrived, only for Vaas to sweep him up into his arms bridal style. He huffs slightly and bites back his complaints about the stupid boots, instead opting to loop an arm around the pirate lord's neck. "You're excited about something."

"I think you'll like what I have in mind, mi Reina." Vaas carries him across the yard and towards the warehouse. "I had Carlos set everything up for us while we were out."

He frowns thoughtfully and wracks his brain for anything that could have Vaas this excited. He immediately dismisses the thought of sex, and there's really very little else…unless. He's going to start on the Tatau? "Can I guess what it is?"

"Sí, preciosa." Vaas cuts through the warehouse and heads down the hallway leading towards their room.

"The Tatau?" Happiness curls through him and it takes him a few seconds to realize that it belongs to Vaas. Pride follows as Vaas sets him down outside of a door he hasn't been through yet. "What will it look like?"

"You'll see." Vaas pushes the door open and motions for him to head inside. The room is incredibly clean considering the state of the compound, and smells faintly of chemicals. It's also insanely well lit.

He steps inside and eyes what looks to be several different chairs towards the back of the room. To the right of them is a cart with better tattooing equipment than Dennis had, along with an assortment of dyes. Hanging on the back wall is various drawings of creatures and wildlife, but a particular one catches his gaze. It's of a white tiger and a blue serpentine dragon forming a circle. "Is that…"

"Sí, mi tigresa. You like it?" Vaas shuts the door behind them and presses a hand against the small of his back to guide him further into the room.

"It's beautiful." And it is. The colors are vibrant and both creatures are well done, but there is a considerable extra amount of detail to the dragon that makes it seem like a daunting undertaking. "You're gonna put _that_ on my back as is?"

"With something extra." That statement makes him pause and look back at Vaas, a grin stretching across the pirate lord's face.

"Extra?" His face scrunches with a frown and he wonders at what Vaas considers extra for the Tatau. It sounds like he's going to add something, and considering he's already agreed to receiving Vaas' Tatau it's not something he's going to really argue against.

"Yes, extra, now take off your shirt and go sit down." Vaas waves him off towards the selection of chairs and takes a detour to a cabinet he had missed in his initial survey of the room.

"Fine." He gives a slight roll of his eyes and pulls his top off, which really doesn't deserve to be called a shirt by any means, then walks over to the variety of chairs. He immediately dismisses the generic chair that looks like it belongs in a dentist's office and outright ignores the gurney-like massage parlor chair. He settles on the most obvious choice for where Vaas wants to place the Tatau, a chair on wheels that more resembles a stool and the segmented backrest can turn into something for him to lean against while his back is getting worked on.

"Now, I want to know that you are certain that this is what you want, Jason. If you say yes there is no going back from this and I don't want it to be because I said so." Vaas comes over with a few things in hand, the most notable of which is an unopened bag of disposable razors and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

"Does it work the same way that Citra's does?" It's the only question he can think of asking, and it's the most important thing he needs to know. Sure, he's given himself to Vaas, but he doesn't want to be stripped of his will.

"No, Cariño, no. The difference between my Tatau and her's is that you will always have a choice. Yes, it will enhance your body and your skills, but you having the ability to choose what you do is more important." Vaas sets his bounty down on the supply cart then pulls the whole thing over to where he's seated.

"So you won't be able to make me do something I don't want to do…. Then yes, I accept your Tatau, Vaas." With those words, with his confirmation and acceptance, he feels like there's a shift in the world around them. _Let me be your balancing point._ Vaas had said those words to him before, and now he sees what the pirate lord meant by them. "The balancing point."

"Sí, Cariño." Vaas grins and grabs up a fresh pair of dark latex gloves to pull on, then he pops open bag of disposable razors. "Now let's get started."


End file.
